Operation GEAR: The Victory Star of Fate
by The Great Butler
Summary: When Darkrai and Cresselia begin fighting in Whitegold City, a race against time begins to unfold a mystery that holds the city's fate and ultimately, how it ties back to the ruthless oil tycoon controlling the city and the mysterious Pokemon Victini.
1. Prologue

I've put a lot of work and planning into this story, so I hope that as it unfolds, you all can enjoy it. It will serve as my entry for NaNoWriMo 2011 and is the followup to _Operation__ GEAR:__ The __Firestorm__ Rebellion_; however, it's not quite necessary to read that first as the events of

Be advised up front that this story contains some strong violence and language, and scenes of disaster that may be disturbing to some.

With all of that out of the way, let's get going, shall we?

-:-

**PROLOGUE**

[A shadowed Earth is seen, and the shadows gradually lift to reveal the planet in full.]

_Pokémon, the incredible creatures that dwell in every corner of our planet. With over six hundred known kinds and many more awaiting discovery, every part of the world has a Pokémon story to tell._

[In a thick forest, Petilil, Lilligant, Venipede, Whirlipede, Scolipede, Blitzle and Zebstrika lounge in and around a huge tree. Several Samurott, Lumineon, Gastrodon, Luvdisc, Huntail and Gorebyss swim in the deep ocean. A desert plays host to Dwebble, Crustle, Sandile, Trapinch, Vibrava, Flygon and a single Volcarona. Finally, Seel, Dewgong, Spheal, Sealeo, Walrein, Mamoswine and Abomasnow live on an icy tundra near the water.]

_While many are common, there are some that have disappeared into the pages of legend…_

[Cobalion, Terrakion and Virizion line up next to each other on a cliff and roar in unison. Overhead, Tornadus, Thundurus and Landorus fly past. In an old town, Reshiram and Zekrom tower over the land, looking up at a giant castle sticking out of the top of a mountain.]

_There are many ways that Pokémon and people can interact. The biggest of them is the Pokémon battle, when trainers and their Pokémon compete against others to determine supremacy._

[On board a subway train, a red-haired girl wearing a yellow hat and yellow gloves along with a bluegreen vest over her navy-blue shirt is battling a man in a black-and-brown conductor's uniform. The girl is using Bisharp, while the man has a Haxorus out. A second train drives past in the opposite direction; inside, a boy with blonde hair and an orange jacket is using Vanilluxe and Jellicent against the Eelektross and Durant owned by his opponent, the white-and-brown-clad twin of the conductor from the first train.]

_Now…_

_Whitegold City is a city in the southeast of the Kanto Region. Known for its rich folklore as well as its booming business district, it is the destination of Matt Chiaki, his adoptive daughter and student Olivia Mistbloom and friends Nekou Langley and Bunny Spruce. Together, the four of them solved the mystery behind the lost city of Argyros in the mountains near the Indigo Plateau, even travelling back in time to witness the history behind the war that nearly led to Argyros's destruction. Now, they head for Whitegold City for Matt to give a speech on his newly-developed energy system, but little do they know, an even greater adventure awaits…_

-:-

The doors of the elevator opened right after the bell that indicated its arrival sounded. An old man, dressed well in a dark blue suit with golden arches going around his body from the four buttons on its front, stepped out. A blue combination cap with an emblem of a hexagonal snowflake Pokémon sat atop his head, and his well-polished brown leather shoes tapped loudly on the metal floor of the laboratory.

Raising his right hand up alongside his head, which was framed by blue-gray, shoulder-length hair and a thick beard of similar coloration, the man flashed a 'V' symbol and announced, "Victory Star!"

Three other people were in the lab already. There were two men in dark suits, one with thick red hair and the other with thin blue hair. They both were wearing dark sunglasses and had an insignia of an anchor merged with the letter 'E' on their breast pockets.

Along with them was a young female scientist dressed in a black lab coat. She also wore rectangular glasses, along with a flower-shaped hair clip to keep the front of her knee-length, dark purple hair out of her face. While the other two were waiting for the arrival of the old man on the elevator, she was simply sitting at a large computer bank placed right in front of three large monitors.

"Victory Star!" both of the men responded, returning the salute given to them by their leader.

The red-haired man was the first to offer some new information. "Captain Everton, sir, the latest reports are in. The device's effectiveness in sectors three and four has been at within 90% or greater of what we anticipated. "

"Shall we prepare for security measure D-10, sir?" asked the guard with blue hair.

The old man, Captain Everton, nodded quietly to his two subordinates. He then slowly walked over to the bank of computers, where he towered over the silent scientist.

"Activate the Dreamyarn Inceptor," he commanded, the lights from the computers shining in the monocle covering his left eye. "Show me the dreams of the Pokémon that have been put to sleep!"

"Y-yes, Captain Everton, sir…" demurred the woman, clearly afraid of what Everton might do if she disobeyed. "Activating the Dreamyarn Inceptor…"

After the scientist tapped several keys on her wide keyboard to enter the command, a nearby capsule illuminated, revealing a curled-up, pink-and-purple Pokémon that was vaguely porcine in appearance. Though she was not sleeping, her eyes were closed. A powerful energy pulse was suddenly forced through her body, making her writhe violently.

"Mushaaaaaaaaanaaaa!" was the cry that echoed through the lab. The Pokémon was in an agonizing amount of pain and her trainer, the scientist, knew it. Even though the woman thought she was responsible for this travesty, however, she felt powerless to stop it. Everton was simply too powerful.

The center monitor in her computer network lit up with a scanner map of all of Whitegold City. On the map the city was divided into four sections, two of which were glowing. The computer automatically zoomed into those two areas, then divided the screen into numerous different views.

"I see," Everton said as he evaluated the vantage points of the city he was receiving. A broad smile crept onto his face. "So, Victini, you haven't come out of hiding yet. That's fine. I haven't even gotten started yet." Turning away from the screens, Everton ordered, "Fennel, stay here and operate the Dreamyarn Inceptor. Foster, Baker, you two come with me. We have work to do."

-:-

A large part of Whitegold City was its marshes, which seemed to stretch on forever in a mass of thick trees and dark water. Somewhere within this murky maze was a shack with a back porch right on the water.

An elderly woman dressed in ragged clothing lived there, and she was sweeping her floors with the help of her Gothitelle, a Pokémon with the appearance of a girl in a dress made up of conical black sections, each fronted with a white ribbon.

Quite suddenly, Gothitelle stiffened up. The four flattened, disc-like protrusions on each side of her head became still.

"Gothi…" she said nervously.

"Gothitelle, what's wrong?" asked the woman of her Pokémon. "Wait… I think I sense it too. A terrible tragedy is about to unfold in this city…"

Pokémon:

Operation GEAR

[A ground-level view from within some thick underbrush is seen.]

Troy Baker

Trina Nishimura

Bridget Hoffman

Caitlin Glass

[The view switches to the surface of dark water briefly before submerging.]

Lisa Ortiz

Colleen Clinkenbeard

J. Michael Tatum

Crispin Freeman

Vic Mignogna

Kari Wahlgren

Rachael Lillis

Saori Hayami

Shinichiro Miki

featuring Michael Ironside as Captain Liam Everton

[The view switches to scaling the side of a tall skyscraper; at the top it merges into churning black storm clouds.]

_-The__ Victory__ Star __of__ Fate_–

-:-

Whitegold City's highly developed business district was right on the shore of a wide river, which was bisected by a large iron bridge. Underneath the blazing sun, a two-level ferry boat sailed through the glittering waters toward a ferry station at the edge of the city.

Inside the second-floor cabin on the boat, a group of four people were sitting at a table in the midst of watching a video being played introducing the passengers to Whitegold City.

When the sole male member of the group – a very tall man dressed in a silver-lined blue longcoat with golden feather patterns on the lapels – sighed deeply, it incited a reaction from one of his companions, a curvaceous young woman with long black hair accented with red streaks.

"What's the matter, Matt?" she ribbed him, shifting herself around in her seat. "Has the stage fright bug gotten to you?"

"Oh, shut up, Nekou," Matt shot back, running his hand through his shoulder-length blonde hair, having removed the wide-brimmed, feather-crested blue hat he usually wore. "I'm not in the mood to deal with your nonsense at the moment."

"Well that's fine! It's not like I was going to help you, anyway, I was making fun of you!"

"Sure. By the way, fix your shirt."

Matt wasn't saying this just to insult her; Nekou's blue top – which was only buttoned in one place so as to reveal both her midriff and quite a bit of her cleavage – was beginning to become undone. Flushing intensely, Nekou fixed the button and covered herself with her arms.

"I-I… you haven't earned that right yet!"

"Like you're giving your speech dressed like that?" interjected the youngest of the group, a fourteen-year old girl wearing a blue cape and pink boots. Her cape matched the color of her long hair, which ended in thick curls over her shoulders, and had the same silver lining as Matt's coat.

"Olivia, please, don't start…" Matt said, clearly exasperated by having to deal with both Nekou and now Olivia as well. "We're all getting clothes for the speech, alright?"

"Olivia, I'll help you pick something out," the fourth member of the group, a woman in her early thirties with brown twintails.

"But don't you already have your outfit, Bunny?"

Olivia had a point; Bunny's black-and-gray business suit was already quite formal. "Well, that's true, but I want to look nice for Matt's speech too."

"I'll help you pick something out too then!"

Bunny and Olivia's exchange was interrupted by the arrival of a member of the ferry's staff. "Do you four have passes already?"

"Passes?" Matt asked. He had been caught well off-guard by the sudden question.

"Captain Everton has a rule in place that everyone inside Whitegold City's boundaries must have an identification pass of some kind," explained the man. "It's for security purposes. There are two types of passes, one for residents of the city and one for guests."

"The four of us are guests of Everton, actually," Bunny informed.

"I see. Well, allow me to take your pictures and I'll get those guest passes ready right away."

Everything was going smoothly until the man took a camera out of his jacket. The moment she saw it, Nekou flinched and hid behind Matt, clenching his sleeve as she did so.

"No!" she screeched in a highly defensive manner.

"Wait…" Matt's eyes widened as he realized what was going on. "You're afraid of getting your picture taken, aren't you?" When he saw her nod nervously, he knew the solution right away. "You can be in the picture with me. They can use the same picture for both of our passes."

It took a moment for Nekou to come to accept this offer, and she emerged enough from behind Matt to be seen in the picture. Nevertheless, she never let go of his arm and jumped noticeably when the camera's flash went off. Bunny and Olivia, meanwhile, got their pictures taken without incident, and the man went off to create the passes.

After a minute of somewhat awkward silence, Nekou blurted out, "I just don't like doing it! It doesn't make me a bad…"

"Nekou, relax, there's nothing to worry about," Matt consoled her. "So you're afraid of getting your picture taken. Big deal. I'm afraid of the dark and I'm almost thirty."

"Y-you're right… sorry…"

"Don't worry about it," Matt said with a smile.

"I like getting my picture taken," Olivia chimed in at random. "You know why? Someone has to look at you to do it."

"You sure do like attention, don't you…" Matt sarcastically uttered under his breath, while adjusting the unusual glasses on his face. Only the right-hand half appeared to be normal, blue-tinted circular glasses, while the left side was actually a golden face mask in the shape of a stylized Ho-oh with a purple rose-pattern eyepiece over where his left eye was.

Just then, the man from the ferry staff arrived holding four credit card-sized passes. They were mainly colored black but also had a gold trim around the edges.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting. Four Whitegold City guest passes, right here."

Matt and Nekou received their passes first, and as planned, both cards had the picture of Nekou hiding partially behind Matt on them. Olivia had made an over-the-top pose for hers, looking over her shoulder slightly and winking. Bunny's was the tamest of the lot, featuring her just staring straight ahead into the camera.

"Thanks for everything." Flipping a coin from his pocket to the man as a tip, Matt added, "Take care of yourself."

_"__Attention__ all __passengers,__"_ a female voice interrupted through the PA system on the ferry. _"__We__ will__ be __making__ port__ in__ Whitegold__ City __in__ a__ few__ minutes.__ Please __have__ your__ passes__ ready.__"_

Taking up his messenger bag, which had six silver buttons and a crest pattern based on a legendary Pokémon on it, Matt turned to his three female teammates. "Well, it's finally just about time. Let's have a good time in Whitegold City, alright?"

**END of PROLOGUE**


	2. Darkrai's Shadow

**CHAPTER**** 1**: Darkrai's Shadow

-:-

The ferry port was a considerably spacious building sitting right on the banks of the river. After their ferry arrived, Matt, Nekou, Olivia and Bunny wasted no time in making their way back outside, to the streets of Whitegold City itself.

"Oh, wow!" Olivia beamed, her eyes glittering with excitement. "Whitegold City is really cool! The buildings are all so huge!"

"Stay interested, Olivia," Matt said to encourage her. "The first thing we have to do is go shopping to get some clothes. There should be some good stores not far from here, so let's get going."

-:-

Beneath Whitegold City, a sprawling system of spacious tunnels unfolded. They were unusually large to just be sewers, but their purpose was not clear. Inside the tunnels, a canal of water flowed down the middle of each corridor, while paths bordered the water on both sides, periodically bisecting it with a bridge.

On one of these wide paths, Everton, Foster and Baker were riding on an open-cabbed hover-truck equipped with a flatbed. Foster was driving the vehicle, and several crates of varying sizes were secured on its cargo carrier.

"Stop here," Everton commanded, having been monitoring the progress of the truck in moving through the city on a small, dashboard-mounted computer.

Foster complied, and the truck stopped near a large doorway that led to a freight elevator. Everton and his two henchmen disembarked from the truck and apprised the cargo they had been carrying.

"Get the uppermost crate off there and into the elevator," he instructed his two employees. "Cryogonal, help them!"

From the interior pocket of his jacket, Everton produced a sphere with a black-and-yellow top – an Ultra Ball – and threw it upward, releasing the snowflake Pokémon that the emblem on his hat was based on. It was actually quite large, nearly five feet in height, and had a shiny, sky-blue surface. Two glowing green eyes peered out from an opening in its body, and just below the eyes, chains of green ice crystals hung down. Cryogonal's appearance was also accompanied by an unusual golden shine around it, indicating that it was not its usual coloration.

"Understood, sir. Throh, come out!"

"And Sawk, you come out as well!"

From the two Poké Balls thrown by Foster and Baker, two humanoid Pokémon emerged. Foster's Throh was squat, rotund and red in color with a thick black nose and eyebrows. Baker's Sawk, his blue counterpart, was much thinner, taller, and only had an eyebrow over his left eye. Both were wearing white robes tied with black belts.

As it had been directed, Everton's Cryogonal extended its ice chains to ensnare a handle on the top of the crate. Despite not being the largest piece of cargo on the truck, the container was quite heavy, and Cryogonal had to struggle to lift it. Everton plainly didn't care, however.

Eventually, Cryogonal managed to heft the container off the truck and onto the waiting shoulders of Throh and Sawk. They had much more strength than the Ice-type did, so carrying the weight was less challenging for them. Foster and Baker guided them to the doors of the freight elevator, which Everton had already activated and opened. The two guards followed their Pokémon inside, themselves followed by their leader and his Cryogonal.

While Baker pulled the doors of the elevator shut, Everton reached into his jacket to retrieve another Ultra Ball. "It's time to keep going. Klinklang!"

The second Ultra Ball released Everton's Klinklang, a Pokémon made up of three interlocking silver gears affixed to a fourth, larger gear. On the uppermost gear, there was a crude face comprised of a single eye, a white 'X' and a round mouth.

"Klinklang, power the elevator with Discharge."

"Klink, klink, klink…" the Steel-type Pokémon droned as it moved into position. It affixed the spiked rim surrounding its body into a matching slot on a platform next to the elevator's door, then released the electricity contained in its red core gear through its spikes.

In an instant the elevator came to life, illuminating from the power surging through it. It lurched briefly, then began rising at a steady clip, taking its passengers and cargo upward.

"Captain Everton, sir…" Foster piped up, "Why does this elevator have to be powered by your Klinklang specifically when all the others don't? I don't really understand."

"Security. What's in this warehouse can't be let out to just anyone. And I don't pay you to understand, you get paid to do what you're told! That's what you two do!"

Foster was sufficiently cowed by his boss's outburst, while Baker did not visibly react at all. Despite the difference between their responses, the result was the same – the rest of the elevator ride up to the warehouse was spent in silence aside from Klinklang's busy humming.

When the elevator abruptly stopped at its destination, Everton simply walked over to the doors, opened them, and said, "Let's go. Bring the crate."

As its master left the elevator, Klinklang disconnected from the power mechanism and floated alongside Cryogonal, then the two of them followed him out. Foster and Baker went next, trailed finally by Throh and Sawk, who were carrying the crate.

The warehouse was dim and the air inside its confines smelled rather musty. A direct path was shown to the conspirators as they made their way to their destination, the single large crate in the center of the facility, by the lamp positioned above it.

When the group stopped walking, there was a moment of silence before Baker turned and said, "Put the crate down."

Sawk immediately complied, lowering his side of the crate carefully to the floor. Throh, on the other hand, wasn't ready, and as a result, nearly slipped and dropped it.

Everton wasn't paying attention to anything his two guards' Pokémon were doing. He was more focused on the bigger crate before him, and the pen-like device he'd taken from his inner pocket.

"Little did you know, Governor, you will help me unveil the future of energy despite your ignoring of my proposals." With that one statement, Everton pressed down on the button on the end of the pen.

Triggered by the device, the panels forming the crate's sides retracted into its framework, changing it from a crate into a cage. Floating within its confines was another Pokémon, one with a tattered black body that ended in a skirt-like outgrowth on the bottom and a flowing shock of white hair on the top. In between the two was a jagged red protrusion that went all around its body like a necklace.

"That's… Darkrai!" Baker exclaimed, visibly shocked even behind his dark glasses. Foster clearly shared his surprise.

"Yes, and it took me a lot of negotiation. That fool up in the government headquarters thinks I'm using his Darkrai to find a new energy source, and you know what? He's right. This will be the first step in bringing about a revolution in energy! Let's get started, then. Darkrai, wake up."

A single eye opened just underneath Darkrai's hair, and the mysterious creature silently watched as Everton paced outside of its prison.

"That investment in the Kodai Network Group was worth it. Having his technology certainly cuts down on the amount of work I have to do to restrain you, Darkrai."

Without saying another word Everton pressed the button again. This time it triggered the unfolding of the crate he had delivered with Foster and Baker, revealing a machine that resembled a water tank. Two robotic arms extended from it and attached a collar to Darkrai's body, not even bending under the resistance Darkrai attempted to stage. Once the collar was safely affixed to Darkrai's body, the arms withdrew and Everton approached the cage.

"Listen and listen well, Darkrai. You are going to be an integral part of history. If you disobey me, that device attached to you will give you a nasty shock…" To accentuate his point, Everton pressed the button once again, causing Darkrai to briefly be electrocuted by the collar. Drinking in the hatred Darkrai was glaring at him with while pushing itself up from the ground, he continued, "Don't disobey me. What will happen to you if you do is something you'd rather avoid, I'll promise you that."

"Captain Everton, sir?" Baker interrupted, his hand on the transmitter in his ear.

"What? This better be something important!"

"Sir, I've just received confirmation that Matt Chiaki and his group have arrived in Whitegold City."

"Ah, excellent!" Everton turned fully from Darkrai's crate and made a grand gesture by spreading his arms. "All the pieces are now on the board. It is time for the game to begin!"

-:-

"Did you two really need to buy so much?"

Matt was left carrying all of Nekou and Olivia's bags from their shopping trip in addition to his own. While he'd only bought one suit, they had gone completely overboard, each buying two more outfits in addition to their dresses for the speech. Bunny, meanwhile, only purchased one dress as well, and was carrying it herself as the group walked down a street not far from Everton's building, where the speech would be held.

"Well, yeah, we did," Olivia answered, not even bothering to turn around while she spoke. "When I start going for badges and Ribbons, I have to look good, right?"

"And it's not like you don't have any money," Nekou added in a deadpan tone while glancing back over her shoulder.

Thoroughly defeated, Matt said nothing more and dropped the subject. Bunny felt like she should do something to fix the situation, though, so she spoke up instead.

"We've still got some time before Matt has to give his speech, so how about we visit Balise Park?"

"Balise Park?" Matt repeated questioningly, while Nekou and Olivia stopped ahead of him.

"You're giving a speech here but you don't know one of this city's most famous landmarks?" Nekou scolded him. "Everyone knows that Balise Park is where you go to see the trees when they change color at the beginning of the autumn season. It's world famous! I've been there before but not at the right time, so I've never seen it, but I really want to. Autumn really is my favorite season… the way life is going into a resting phase for the winter is at once depressing but hopeful, because it will return before too long…"

Not paying much heed to Nekou's rambling, Matt mentioned, "Autumn just started, too."

"And the park is right there!" exclaimed Bunny as she pointed down the street. "Let's go and see it!"

Finding themselves in consensus, the quartet hurried down the road and entered the fenced gateway at the end where the street diverged off.

Balise Park was even more grand than the descriptions had made it sound. The trees in the park had leaves in vivid red and brown colors, forming a beautiful sea of warm hues that seemed to stretch on nearly endlessly. A stream flowed through the area, necessitating the use of a stone footbridge to cross it.

"This… this is fucking beautiful!" Nekou exclaimed, her voice shaking as joy overtook her. "The colors… the colors of my favorite season…"

"Hey, Matt," Olivia called from several feet away, "come check this out."

The girl was standing with several others who were gathered around a television mounted above the ground on a pole, so Matt and Bunny joined her as well. On the television was a news report being broadcast by a green-haired young woman with thinly-framed glasses.

_"Welcome back to Everton News Channel's continuing coverage of the Whitegold City festival events leading up to the Pokémon Bowl tournament the day after tomorrow. I'm Midori Makise, anchoring our coverage. Let's go live to Balise Park, where many potential entrants have gone to brush up on their skills with practice matches…"_

"Pokémon Bowl?" Olivia wondered out loud. "Like Pokémon Baccer? Is it a sport?"

"It is a so-called sport, and it is only played by classless brutes with no taste for the true nature of battle."

This abrupt statement came from a petite girl who had been watching the broadcast alongside the others all along. Despite speaking with a haughty manner befitting that of an extremely wealthy person, she was dressed plainly, wearing a leather jacket, jeans and sunglasses. Her long, thick golden hair was woven into a ponytail through the top of the sky-blue baseball cap she wore.

"Well that was rather rude," countered Olivia with a huff. "Sports like Pokémon Baccer are fun, so what should you care about it?"

"Because you seem to be a cultured woman like myself. You need not foul yourself with such low-class trash."

"Okay, time out," Bunny interrupted, having heard more than enough. "Olivia, stop taking the bait this girl is putting out. It just sounds to me like she wants a fight."

"Oh, I don't need to fight someone like you," said the girl while she waved her hand mockingly at Bunny and Olivia. "It would just be rather boring to me."

"Okay, enough!" Matt wouldn't even allow either Olivia nor Bunny the chance to get upset. "If you're talking such a big game, back it up. I'll take you on!"

The girl simply giggled softly. "Now who is this uncouth ruffian that would challenge me? Very well, we shall battle in the center of the park."

Together with the girl, Matt, Olivia and Bunny headed for the footbridge to cross the river and enter the park's center. Nekou trailed behind, having finally realized that she was being left back due to her distraction over the color of the leaves.

"What's going on?" she asked, once she'd caught up with the others. "Where are we going?"

"This girl just came up and started trashing us and upsetting Olivia, so I'm going to battle her to put her in her place."

"She upset Olivia?" Nekou immediately plowed past Matt to get alongside Olivia. She then put her hand on Olivia's shoulder and said, "Don't worry about it, Olivia. Matt's going to put that little bitch in her place. He better, if he knows what's good for him…"

Matt didn't see the face Nekou made at him by half-closing her eyes, nor did he hear her threat, so no more words were exchanged.

It wasn't long before the assembled group reached the center of the park, which was like an idyllic oasis right inside the heart of Whitegold City's urban area. Numerous stone tables and benches dotted the landscape in the shadows of giant oak trees whose bodies bent over and touched the ground.

The mysterious girl led them to an open area, then gestured to Matt to stop walking as she put some distance between herself and him. He did so, passing the bags to Bunny as well. Once she was far enough away, the girl stopped, turned and called out, "Are you ready to lose, you scruffy vagabond?"

"I wouldn't be getting so confident up front if I was you!" Matt countered. "You've really broken one of the rules I won't tolerate. You upset Olivia!"

"Hmph. Well, our skills will determine which of us strides off the battlefield with head held high! Espeon, Starmie and Beheeyem, I call you forth!"

From the pricey-looking handbag she carried, the girl took out and threw three Poké Balls. In addition to the Espeon and Starmie that appeared, there was also a new Pokémon, one with an entirely brown body and elongated head. She had glowing green eyes and overall looked as if she was disguised in a hat and trench coat.

"Well, that's a new one to me. And wait... three Pokémon?"

The girl huffed at Matt's seeming ignorance once more. "This is my Beheeyem. Psychic-types are my preference and she's one that I quite fancy. And dare I venture that you don't know what a Triple Battle is?" When he didn't respond, she lightly giggled again. "Three Pokémon on each side. That brutish Pokémon Bowl competition uses Triple Battles, but they put all sorts of unappealing rules on it. Battles should be pure and unfouled with unnecessary regulations that do nothing but subtract from the pleasure of it all. So therefore… come at me with everything you've got!"

"With pleasure," Matt whispered with a smile. "Hethna, Agnetha, Ayingott, make your mark!"

When Matt threw his three Poké Balls into the air, his Ambipom, Agnetha, appeared. Alongside her were Hethna, his Golurk, and Ayingott, his Sigilyph.

With the two trios of Pokémon staring each other down between the gazes of their trainers, and Nekou, Olivia, Bunny and many other people and Pokémon in the park looking on, the battle began.

The opening shots were taken by Agentha when she rushed toward Espeon and used her tails in an attempt to deliver a Shadow Claw attack. Espeon managed to back away enough that she only suffered a glancing blow, and she had help from Starmie's Psychic holding Agnetha back somewhat.

Ayingott interrupted by firing an Energy Ball from between the two eyes in the middle of her spherical body. The crackling green sphere struck Starmie effectively, blowing the Water-and-Psychic-type back and singeing its body. Hethna added to the offense by swinging its large fist to generate a Shadow Punch attack, which came out of the darkness cast by a tree to hit Starmie again. However, Beheeyem quickly counterattacked by generating her own Energy Ball between the three flashing lights on her hand, hitting Hethna just as effectively in response.

As the battle raged, Olivia and Bunny sat at a table off to the side, completely engrossed in the action. Olivia's Minccino was playing with Marie, Nekou's tiny Sneasel, at their feet. As for Nekou, while Marie was amusing herself with the gray chinchilla Pokémon, she was simply sitting reading a book, not even paying attention that much to the battle. She was more preoccupied with taking care of her Zorua, whom she finally had the chance to let out of her Poké Ball.

Starmie targeted Hethna with a shot of steaming-hot water. This attack, Scald, worked extremely well, playing on Hethna's natural part-Ground type and its weakness to Water-type moves. While the Golurk reeled back, a large part of the blotched area on its chest visibly burnt, Agnetha dropped in from the trees and defended her teammate with a Seed Bomb against Starmie. Both sides were roughly tied at this point, at least until Ayingott came in and finished Starmie off with another Energy Ball.

Angered, and finding herself stuck with two Pokémon against Matt's three, the girl recalled Starmie and immediately sent Beheeyem and Espeon forth. The two attacked with a tandem Shadow Ball, aiming squarely for Ayingott. The sheer speed of this assault caught Matt and his Pokémon off guard, and Ayingott got hit hard, her red-yellow-and-blue feathers scattering everywhere.

Olivia, Bunny and Nekou were not the only ones watching the battle, and Minccino, Marie and Zorua weren't the only Pokémon. Numerous trainers sat and stood in the area surrounding the battlefield, accompanied by a wide assortment of Pokémon including Druddigon, Weavile, Empoleon, Metagross, Walrein, Glalie, Froslass, Absol, Dusclops, Torkoal, Aggron, Porygon2, Stantler, Heracross, Slowking, Lapras, Cloyster, Vanilluxe and Carracosta.

Agentha dropped out of the trees in an Acrobatics attack, bringing her tails down forcefully onto Espeon's forehead. As the two broke away from each other, Espeon cried out, then responded to her trainer's commands by calling forth a wide field of electricity that would serve as its Zap Cannon. Ayingott got caught up in the storm of energy, and she could take no more, falling to the ground and fainting. Matt was careful in recalling her, as she was still twitching from the leftover electricity working its way through her body.

He would not remain tied with his opponent for long, however. Hethna was sent forward once more, striking Espeon with a Shadow Punch generated by its hulking fists. This was it for Espeon, and she collapsed, unable to take any more. Now left with just Beheeyem, the girl took the desperate action of ordering another Energy Ball targeted at Hethna, hoping that it would knock the Golurk out and tie the match again.

However, this tactic was too predictable by then, and Matt saw right through it. He had Agentha cut the Energy Ball down by stopping it with Double Hit, then Hethna immediately followed up with one last Shadow Punch, striking Beheeyem down once and for all.

With the battle over, Matt finally relaxed for the first time in what seemed like forever. _"__I__ did __it,__"_ he thought to himself. He'd successfully fought back and defended Olivia's honor, and for even a brief second he felt adequate in living up to the promise he'd made to Olivia's late father, Rich, before his death. As she didn't even know about her father's fate from five years earlier, though, it was a constant struggle for Matt to feel like he was treating her well enough to keep his word and his obligation.

He heard applause at that point, coming from the many trainers who were gathered around the park watching the battle. Matt realized that his fight not only had defended Olivia's honor, but entertained this large group of people, and with a sense of humble gratitude, he turned and waved to them all.

"What a collection of Pokémon," he quietly noted to himself as he scanned the crowd. It struck him just how diverse the assortment of Pokémon that had gathered for the Pokémon Bowl really was.

"You're not so bad after all," said the mysterious girl, having called back Beheeyem and sorted out her affairs over her defeat. "I think you might be worthy of learning my name, so I'll tell you it. My name is Katorena. I'm visiting Whitegold City to prepare for my journey in competition against the Pokémon Gyms of the Kanto Region."

"Well met, then. I'm Matt, and my friends are Olivia, Nekou and Bunny." Matt pointed out each of the appropriate members of his group as he named them.

The sound of clapping distracted both Matt and Katorena from their initial conversation. It was coming from a sharply-dressed man in a black tailcoat, who was approaching them alongside a beautiful blonde woman wearing a purple dress with a fluffy skirt that reached down almost to her ankles.

"Bravo, bravo, what a show!" the man exclaimed, walking right up to Matt and Katorena. "Truly, a spectacle that showed off the potential of all of your Pokémon. It's just the kind of thing I'd like to have in my show!"

"And just who do you think you are?" Katorena rudely demanded. "Walking up to me and trying to draft me for some farce without even giving your name. How crude!"

"Yes, you're right, that was rude of me. I am Butler the magician." As he said this, Butler bowed, deeply enough that strands of his dark-blue mullet flaked over into his face.

"I'm Diane," the woman added, "Butler's assistant and close companion. I'm pleased to meet you both."

"You see, Diane and I have brought our magic show here in order to participate in Whitegold City's annual festival, which begins tomorrow. After I saw the show you two put on just now, I'd like to invite you to participate!"

"A festival and a magic show, huh? Well, I wasn't planning on staying much beyond tonight, since my speech is about to come up…"

"I want to stay!" Olivia had abruptly appeared right next to Matt and was now leveling demands at him all over again. "It's a magic show, and a whole festival on top of that! We can't miss something like that! I want to stay for the festival and the Pokémon Bowl too!"

Matt sighed. "I just can't say no to that face. You know, Olivia, you really have me coming and going."

"That's right, I do!"

Matt and Olivia could have gone on forever, even in front of people they had just met. For that reason, it was good that at that exact moment, a car pulled up near them and a man in a uniform similar to Foster and Baker's stepped out to address them.

"Matt Chiaki?"

"That's me. What is it?"

"Captain Everton has sent me to inform you that he wishes you to come to the building for the speech now. I will escort you and your partners there."

"I guess I'll be seeing you all another time, then," Matt bid to Katorena, Butler and Diane. "Nekou! Bunny! Let's get going!"

-:-

The headquarters of Everton International, located at One Everton Plaza in the heart of Whitegold City, were quite an impressive and intimidating sight. Trees surrounded the light-gray limestone building, which itself was fifty-five floors high. The first ten floors comprised a wide, sturdy base for the structure, while the other forty-five jutted upward in a narrow, towering construct. Durable steel cables attached to the corners of the building from the roofs of some of the surrounding buildings, which were themselves rather impressive in height.

Down on the first floor lobby, which was a large common room with well-polished blue floor tiles, a curvaceous woman entered the building. Her raven-colored hair hung out of the hood she wore to cover her head, and her eyes were covered by tinted glasses. She walked directly up to the bronze desk on the left side of the lobby, where a sleepy-looking receptionist wearing her brown hair in a bun sat. Behind the desk, a large, golden model of Everton's anchor insignia hung in front of a silver backdrop, with green spotlights shining on the water running down the wall.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked, a hint of annoyance playing in her voice.

"Yes, I'm here to cover Matt Chiaki's energy presentation, actually."

"May I see your press pass, then?"

"Here." The woman handed over an identification card, which the receptionist wasted no time in scanning and returning.

"Enjoy the speech presented to you by Everton International." Everything out of the receptionist's mouth was dull and indifferent-sounding, so it was hard to judge how seriously she was taking anything that happened.

Regardless of the receptionist's cold attitude, however, the woman walked away from the desk, putting away her press pass as she moved. She leaned against a wall on the other side of the lobby, near a bank of televisions playing videos about Everton, his company and their histories.

"Cincci?" A Pokémon extremely similar in appearance to Minccino popped up next to the woman's head inside her cloak. In fact, the only difference between her and Olivia's Minccino was that this Pokémon was wrapped all over in luxurious white fur.

"Don't you worry, Cinccino," the woman said, giving her Pokémon a friendly scratch on the head. "We'll get to the bottom of this story once and for all, and Liam Everton won't be getting away with his corrupt actions any longer."

-:-

Meanwhile, up on the top floor of the Everton building, the captain himself sat in his office, which actually took up the entire floor. His desk was carved from highly expensive oak and accented with gold trimming, while short, plush blue carpet lined the floor all over the office. The windows, finally, wrapped nearly all the way around, stopping only to create space for the elevators to come up.

Everton was sitting in his tall-backed, leather chair using the computer installed on his desk. The window he had open over the silver-and-blue desktop wallpaper displayed a stock trading program, equipped with statistics and graphs.

"Black City Exchange Trader's Account," he read out loud to himself. "Open Investments… Brick Piece Reserves, $550,500. Star Piece Trading, $679,000. Let's finish that off by putting $825,650 into Icirrus Mineral Collection… current total balance, $2,055,150." Smirking, he then said rather loudly, "That ought to do it. Soon enough I'll have just enough money to do exactly what I need to do."

Suddenly, the phone on Everton's desk rang, startling him and causing him to jump. He abruptly picked it up and shouted, "What is it?"

"Captain Everton, sir!" It was the employee who had been sent to pick up Matt and his group. "I am in transit to One Everton Plaza right now with Matt Chiaki and his partners in my care. We will be arriving shortly."

"See to it that it gets done!" After slamming the phone back down, Everton seemed to calm slightly. He leaned back in his chair and said into the air, "The pieces are now beginning to move on the board. Before long, the future of energy will be realized."

-:-

Far from Whitegold City was Viridian City, another of Kanto's large and famous cities. It had once been a relatively small but busy area, but in recent years, it had undergone a complete transformation, morphing from a modest city in harmony with nature to a huge and futuristic metropolis. One thing that always remained throughout all of Viridian City's growing pains, though, was the antique mansion just outside the main part of the community. It was well-kept by numerous landscapers, and the building itself never fell into disrepair, but these factors only seemed to contribute to the mysterious air it exuded. The mansion was the subject of many rumors among the longer-term residents of the city.

The truth was that the mansion was the residence of Viridian City Gym Leader Giovanni, who was also supposedly the former boss of the criminal organization known as Team Rocket. Things had been much more busy at his residence that day than they usually were, as he was having to deal with the police heavily. He had actually been captured by the police the day before, but successfully negotiated for monitored house arrest in exchange for helping take down a renegade member of the team. On top of that he also managed to gain clearance for all his other remaining followers for all past crimes, but that didn't get him out of the house arrest.

Tired from the day-long arranging of the particulars for his house arrest, Giovanni dropped his towering body into the plush red velvet couch in his personal lounge, which he considered his sanctuary from the madness of the outside world. In his mind, dealing the police was almost harder than working with some of the assorted lunatics who worked for him inside Team Rocket. The warm light from the chandelier overhead glistened on Giovanni's slightly-receded brown hair as he reached for a nearby bottle of red wine, his favorite drink for when he simply wanted to relax.

After pouring the highly expensive and well-aged drink into its accompanying glass, Giovanni downed a rather large sip of it. The warmth in his throat calmed him, even if it would take some time for the alcohol's more potent properties to take effect.

"Mrow?"

The presence of that voice meant that Giovanni's idyllic sanctuary was now complete. He was a wealthy man who strongly subscribed to the idea that money could to some degree buy happiness; it was an ideal reflected in not only the chandelier and wine but the burgundy silk robe he currently was wearing, along with the multiple works of art, various antiques such as lamps and vases, and even the ornate billiards table in the room. For all of that, though, one of his favorite comforts was also the simplest – his trusted companion, Persian. The feline Pokémon, who was now nuzzling his hand and purring happily, was one of the rare living things Giovanni felt he could truly call a friend.

"Hello there, my friend," he said quietly, giving Persian a scratch on the head that pleased the Pokémon greatly.

This scene was interrupted when the door into the room loudly closed, bringing both Giovanni and Persian to alert. It was Giovanni's assistant, a young woman dressed in a uniform with purple sleeves that ended in red cuffs, matching the color of the strip that ran down the uniform's middle. Pairs of golden buttons were arranged down her front in rows, and she also wore a pencil skirt that ended just above her knees, at which point the nylon stockings covering her legs could be seen. Finally, she had a pair of oval-shaped wireframe glasses that surrounded her cold green eyes and nestled in the purple hair that went down to her back.

As soon as he saw the young woman, Persian happily jumped over the couch and sprang right onto her, knocking her to the ground. Even though he kept licking her face, though, her expression remained relatively blank.

"Stacia, what are you doing here?" Giovanni demanded.

"I… I only came to check and make sure you were okay after today, sir," the woman, Stacia, nervously offered. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Giovanni sighed. Most of his followers were complete imbeciles, but the ones who weren't were far too eager to earn their boss's favor. Stacia definitely fell into the latter group, but Giovanni didn't hate her for it like he did for most of the lower-level underlings who did similar things.

"Persian's on top of you because he knows you give him things when you show up. Go get him a dish of milk."

"Yes, sir," Stacia responded, adjusting her glasses as she rose to her feet and headed for the mini-kitchen connected to the lounge. Persian followed enthusiastically at her heels, as he knew that he was going to get something out of her.

Now alone again, Giovanni reached for the remote control sitting on the couch and used it to activate the widescreen plasma television hanging on the wall before him. It happened to be already tuned to the Everton News Channel, and Midori Makise appeared on the screen.

_"__In__ other __news,__"_ she intoned, _"__We__ are __currently __awaiting __the__ press__ conference__ about__ to __be__ held__ at __the__ headquarters __of__ Everton__ International__ here__ in__ Whitegold __City.__ The __subject__ has__ been__ announced __to__ be __the __challenges__ of__ the__ continued__ reliance__ on__ oil__ for__ energy,__ and__ the __proposal __of__ a__ new,__ renewable __energy__ source__ by__ Matt__ Chiaki,__ a__ scientist __with__ an__ honorary __doctorate__ from__ Hoenn__'__s __Rustboro__ School.__"__[/i]_

Giovanni's eyes widened when he heard Matt's name. Coincidentally enough, it had been Matt Chiaki that had set off the chain of events that led to this point, his encounter with Matt being why Giovanni was under house arrest in the first place. Team Rocket had attempted to take over a tournament at the Indigo Plateau, but Matt, who was charged with helping bring them down by the International Police inspector codenamed Looker, defeated his Excadrill in a battle and helped arrest him.

"So they're all there too?" the Team Rocket boss said to himself as the camera providing the news footage panned over the banquet hall inside Everton's building where Matt's speech would be held.

"Mister Giovanni, sir, are you speaking to me?" Stacia meekly asked, making her way back into the room and setting the dish of milk down, much to Persian's delight. She had to raise her voice above its usual quiet tone so she could be heard above the sound of Persian gleefully lapping up the milk. "I did not hear what it was you want me to do."

"Stacia, keep an eye on events in Whitegold City over the next day or two. If Matt Chiaki and his group are there, I have a rather ominous feeling about what will happen."

"I will see that it is done. Thank you for the responsibility, sir."

Stacia turned to leave, but she stopped when Giovanni spoke further.

"Stay here. I want another pair of eyes on this news conference. Something seems suspicious about it."

Though she wouldn't argue with him anyway due to his being her boss, Stacia was internally grateful for the opportunity. Every time she got to do something for him, she felt like she was actually needed.

-:-

The banquet hall was on the twenty-third floor of the Everton building. It was a room lit by dim but warm lamps affixed all around the golden walls, with a floor adorned with short red carpet that had a black cross pattern stitched into it. At the head of the room, there was a stage set up with a large video screen and a podium. The press covering Matt's speech were busily arranging their equipment, while other invited guests – such as potential investors and foreign energy developers considering contracting Matt's technology – enjoyed the wide variety of foods catered in for the conference.

Of course, Nekou – now wearing a female-oriented black tailcoat that she left a few buttons open on, along with a short skirt and knee-high boots – was right there at the forefront of where food was available. Her plate was piled high with a bizarre assortment of edibles, ranging from chicken to salad and quite an impressive share of macaroni and cheese.

"You want to share some of that?" Olivia, who was standing next to Nekou, asked. She hadn't been able to get at the macaroni and cheese before she was pushed aside by several others trying to get other foods on that table.

"Of course. For you I'll do it, but don't tell Matt, he might think I'd share food with him too." Nekou was careful as she scooped over some of her share onto Olivia's dish. She didn't want to make a mess of Olivia's frilly new blue-and-pink dress.

"You two really get along famously, don't you?" Bunny interjected sarcastically. Her formal wear was a simple black evening gown with a slit up the right side that ended halfway between her knee and thigh.

"What, do you want some too?" There was no reason for Nekou to believe this, but she blushed and pulled her plate away nevertheless. "I don't know about you yet. I share with people who I really know I like!"

At first Bunny was offended by how defensive Nekou was getting, but upon second thought, she realized that Nekou was only being brutally honest, and decided to let it go.

Luckily, just at that point, the lights dimmed, indicating that the speech was about to start. Everyone who had been standing made their way to the seats that were arranged in front of the stage, allowing the press the front two rows. Nekou, Olivia and Bunny lined up next to each other in the very back.

When a light came up on the stage itself, another dark-suited Everton employee stepped up to the podium and leaned over into the microphones. "Ladies and gentlemen from the media, as well as our invited guests, thank you for attending this conference sponsored by Everton International in cooperation with the Angel Corporation. This evening, you will be listening to a speech given by our keynote speaker, which will then be followed by a question and answer session. Therefore, please, hold your questions until the end of the speech, in which the appropriate time will be made for them to be addressed. Now, without further ado, please welcome this evening's keynote speaker."

Matt, dressed in a white suit with a gray vest and blue tie underneath, made his way onto the stage, shook hands with the departing Everton employee, and took his place at the podium, all to a light smattering of applause. He cleared his throat nervously and adjusted some of the microphones to suit his height more appropriately.

"Um… thank you, thank you for coming, all of you. Now, for the past one hundred and fifty-eight years, the world has come to rely more and more on a single particular substance for everything from heating to transportation and all other kinds of fuels. It truly has united the world, every nation, under the singular desire of obtaining this precious commodity. Now, wouldn't you think that's a good thing? That one substance, so elegant in its simplicity, could bring together every nation on every continent, thus truly uniting the entire world?

If only it were that simple. Of course, all of you know that the substance I am referring to is oil. Could a syrupy black liquid truly be the solution to all of the world's problems? It is true that oil has brought the world industrial and economic prosperity on an unprecedented scale, but at what cost? For far too long now, we have seen the world fall victim to the darker side of oil. Wars have been fought. Lands have been drilled to disastrous proportions. Even the transportation of oil has given us a grim history of problems. While, again, it is true that oil has given mankind many good things, could it be that the time has come to bid farewell to the era of petroleum once and for all?

To that question, I say yes. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to the ALEA, the Absolute Limitless Energy Allocation system. A new energy source of my creation, the ALEA has been successful in reducing the oil consumption of Snowpoint City in Sinnoh by sixty percent only six months after being implemented. Each of you from the press has received a packet of materials for further reference on this system's early history, and you will find that it contains a short video elaborating on several subjects covered in my speech this evening.

Now what is it that makes the ALEA so powerful as a potential alternative to oil? First of all, it requires minimum upfront investment. While the equipment required to operate an ALEA-enabled power facility is not cheap, the cost is balanced out in the long term by overall savings, and the equipment will become less expensive as the technology expands to become more common. The fuel for an ALEA facility is also extremely cheap to acquire, transport large quantities of, and put into use, especially compared to the heavy costs associated with petroleum. Secondly, the ALEA has a minimal footprint on the environment. It is estimated that at least eighty percent of the pollution from an oil plant can be eliminated by switching over to an ALEA facility of the same size. The fuel is safe with little to no toxicity and is extremely long-lasting. Finally, third, the energy output from an ALEA facility is exponentially higher than that of an oil-fired power plant, and much more economical as well. According to estimates based on the results of the test facility constructed in Snowpoint City, a typical power plant equipped to use the ALEA can produce roughly fifty percent more energy than a typical oil plant, while lasting seven times as long on a single refueling."

Extending his right hand with his palm upturned, Matt finished, "Truly, the ALEA is the future of energy, and that future is bright! Join me! Come hand-in-hand into that bright tomorrow where the world will be freed from the shackles of oil!" Another burst of applause greeted Matt's enthusiastic turn, and he smiled as he lowered his hand. "Thank you, everyone. Now, as promised, I would be pleased to answer any questions you may have regarding the plans I have laid out."

A hand immediately went up in the back of the crowd; Matt couldn't clearly see who it was due to the dimmed lights, but he pointed in its direction anyway.

"Is your refrigerator running?"

Matt sighed forcefully. It was Nekou playing a prank on him. Even though he was visibly annoyed, though, on some level he appreciated her trying to lighten the mood and make him less nervous.

"I'll ask that you please keep your questions to the ALEA and relevant subjects, please."

Several other hands went up, and Matt selected a hat-wearing, middle-aged man who rose to his feet when he was pointed at. "Could you explain further on just what the ALEA's fuel is and how it can possibly be such an efficient source of energy?"

"Ah, excellent question. You see, the fuel that is used by the ALEA actually is the mineral that comprises the jewels called Spheres. These Spheres can be mined out of the ground anywhere in the world. Once they are buried, they grow, giving off energy all the while. The ALEA works by burying Spheres in highly enriched soil inside special plugs that collect and harness this energy. A typical ALEA facility is designed in subdivided blocks, each block containing a certain number of units, which each contain several of these plugs. Because Spheres grow very slowly, each one gives off energy for a long time, thus creating the need to only refuel the plant rarely."

"Thank you," the next reporter, a slightly overweight woman in her thirties, said when she was pointed at following the end of Matt's answer. "What can you tell us about the safety of this system?"

"It is completely safe," Matt replied. "Spheres are not a combustible fuel. Even if a critical error occurs at an ALEA facility, the fuel cannot combust. The machinery to harness their energy is also equipped with fail-safe mechanisms designed to prevent explosions of the machines themselves. On another note, once the fuel has been fully expended and needs to be switched out, it can be safely disposed of with no ill effects. There is zero environmental risk in Spheres as a fuel for the system." Pointing toward the back again, he said, "Your turn."

"Does this system have ten-pound balls?"

This time Matt really was annoyed. It was Olivia who made the interrupting remark, and he immediately realized that Nekou had goaded her on into saying it. "Someone who isn't my student who is getting penalized later for bad behavior, please," he hissed through gritted teeth.

"Can you tell us about the plans for expanding this technology?" another female reporter inquired.

"Excellent question. I have been given financing by the Angel Corporation to continue development of the ALEA and prepare the implementation of it in the power plants of the Tohjo Continent that buy into the system. This work is planned to be assisted by subcontracting through Everton International, which owns many of the Tohjo Continent's energy plants, and through this evening's event we hope to gather investors interested in further assisting the financing of the project. The software that operates this technology is extremely user-friendly, and can even guide a facility that enters the project through the steps of upgrading their equipment to meet our specifications. Next question?"

"Does your system have anything to do with the blasphemy you commit by existing?"

This sudden question caused Matt to jump. It wasn't Olivia or Nekou joking this time, in fact, it was a male voice. This meant he had to take it seriously, if not by default, and he tried to work out what it meant.

"Come again?" he coughed in confusion.

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear, so let me phrase it in plainer terms. You, Matt Chiaki, are an abomination and commit evil with every breath you take. By modifying your body with technology you have defiled the divinity of the DNA that originally comprised you…"

"That's it, I'm cutting you off," Matt interrupted, his mind clouding with doubt even further. "Get serious or cede the floor to someone who is. Who are you even?"

"We are Polaris," the man replied, rising from his seat alongside another man and woman who were sitting next to him. All three were wearing white lab coats. "We are a group that believes in the divinity of DNA, the building block of life itself. You have modified yourself with machinery completely foreign to the organic nature of existence, so we must oppose any effort you make to change our world."

None of this made any sense, and Matt truly believed it was some ridiculous prank. He could only shake his head as he attempted to work it out.

"I see you don't understand," the man continued, not allowing Matt a chance to respond to the earlier charges. "It does not matter in the end, though. We will make sure that this is the last day you exist to see."

In unison, all three protestors threw individual Poké Balls, releasing three Magneton. Though the trio of Magneton received no orders at first, they all used Discharge to blast electric bolts all over the room. Before long the room was in a wreck, with the food tables burned and overturned, and chairs scattered everywhere. The press and guests were fleeing this rapidly escalating scene in a panic, including the mysterious hooded reporter and her Cinccino, who were the last to leave. Matt, meanwhile, had no clear path to escape, and could only back slowly up away from the podium.

"Hey, leave him alone, you mean jerks!" Olivia angrily screamed, having remained behind with Nekou and Bunny. All of them were now standing on the side of the room, near one of the destroyed tables.

"Be silent, young lady. You are still pure and untainted. This creature standing before us is an abomination against nature and must be eliminated. Magneton, Thunder Wave!"

The intentions of the man and his two eerily-silent cohorts became clear. If the Magneton were to hit Matt with their combined Thunder Wave, the cybernetic implants sustaining his body would inevitably fail, and his life could potentially be put in danger.

"Balin, Flamethrower!"

A blast of fire suddenly and unexpectedly shot across the room, mowing down all three Magneton. It had come from Bunny's Ninetales, Balin, whom she'd hastily sent out to defend Matt from the protestors. He pushed one of his front paws into the carpeting and growled angrily, recognizing the three as threats to one of his trainer's friends.

"So you three decide to stand alongside this blight upon the Earth? Fine. We shall dispose of you as well, as per Father's vision for a pure worl…" The man froze upon realizing he was only looking at two people, Bunny and Olivia. Nekou was gone. "There were three of you before, and nobody escaped…"

"That's because you dumb shits only think in two dimensions!"

The ceiling. None of the three protestors had been paying attention to Matt's friends or the rafters above their heads, so it was perhaps inevitable that Nekou got up there without being noticed. She dropped down, driving the heels of her boots into the shoulders of the man who had remained silent throughout the incident. Instantly sent into a state of shock by the twin wounds he received, he collapsed onto the floor. Without hesitation Nekou turned to the woman, who simply stared at her with blank eyes, and struck her with a forceful right hook to the face.

Two of her opponents were already knocked out, and Nekou was confident in her chances. At least, she was until the leader of the protestors smashed a chair into her upper back, sending her to the floor herself.

"Nekou!" Matt screamed, horrified at the brutality of the scene unfolding before his eyes and the seeming finality of Nekou's fate. Olivia and Bunny shared in his terror, though they remained silent.

"So that was her name?" the man said, slowly turning back to Matt. "It's a shame that a good collection of DNA had to go to waste like that. But, I'm done playing games. It's about time the mission is fulfilled once and for…"

"Shut the fuck up!"

A sharp, piercing pain penetrated through the man's back, sending shockwaves through his whole body. While gasping for labored breath, he managed to tilt his head around enough to see Nekou standing behind him, apparently unharmed from his assault. He could only stare at her in sickened surprise with wide eyes until she pulled the knife out of his shuddering body, allowing him to fall like his goons.

"I'm someone who likes what she has…" Nekou screeched, towering over the three unconscious protestors with the manner of a deadly predator. "…and if you threaten even one of the things I have, then I'll fuck you up! I'll beat you senseless!"

"Nekou, calm down!" Matt had jumped down from the stage once the danger was over and was now approaching the mess Nekou had made. "Did you kill this guy?" he asked, pointing to the protestor that Nekou stabbed.

"No, I stabbed him where he'll lose just enough blood to pass out for a while. If there's one thing I know it's where to hit to get the results I want."

"That was awesome, seriously!" beamed Olivia, who had rushed over and begun pulling on Nekou's leg. "I want to be like you!"

"Okay, that's enough," Matt interrupted. "Having one each of the two of you around is hard enough. I don't need you becoming like each other."

"What the hell happened in here?" Foster and Baker, along with their Throh and Sawk, had appeared in the doorway. Foster made his way in first. "Captain Everton told us to come down here and check out the racket in this room and we find this?"

"One of you better explain this!" Baker threatened.

"Well, they interrupted the speech," Bunny attempted to explain, "and then they tried to attack Matt, and... it was just a mess."

"Whatever," sighed the blue-haired guard, giving up hope of finding any answers. "We'll just check the security recording. Get out of here so we can clean this mess up and send these three over to the cops."

"Fine," Matt agreed. He turned to Nekou, Olivia and Bunny and said, "I didn't want to stay here much longer anyway. Let's get going."

-:-

_"As you can see… a very shocking scene has unfolded at Everton International during Matt Chiaki's energy speech. Protestors from a group calling itself Polaris disrupted the presentation and… made an attempt on Matt Chiaki's life, but as you can see, they have been thwarted, rather bloodily…"_

Giovanni gulped down the last of his wine and slammed the glass down on the table next to his couch, causing Stacia to jump in her nervousness.

"Polaris… I was suspicious that something was going on, but I didn't think it would involve them. Stacia, contact Dr. Zager and bring him up to speed on these developments. It appears things are happening at a faster pace than we expected."

"Yes, right away, sir."

-:-

The doors of the elevator opened, allowing Matt, Nekou, Olivia and Bunny out into the lobby of the Everton building. Some of the people who were in the lobby from earlier had since left, so it was much less busy than it was before.

Olivia abruptly got in front of the group and cheerfully demanded, "let's take pictures! If we take pictures of each other here, we'll always remember our trip!"

"Awfully odd to want to remember a trip where one of us almost got murdered, isn't it?"

"Don't be a party pooper, Bunny," Nekou laughed. "You've got the right idea, Olivia. Get over there and I'll take your picture."

Complying, Olivia ran over to the video screens embedded in the wall and waited for Nekou to take out her phone. However, as soon as she got it out, the receptionist jumped out of her chair.

"Put that away right now! No taking pictures on Mr. Everton's property!"

Nekou groaned. "Man, fuck this," she mumbled under her breath as she put her phone away.

_"__Welcome__ to__ Everton __International__ headquarters__ at__ One __Everton __Plaza,__ Whitegold __City,__"_ intoned a female voice from the video screens.

Olivia and Nekou both turned to the screen as they were both intrigued by what it was going to cover, so Matt and Bunny decided to watch it as well. It shuffled through a montage of images as the narration continued.

_"Everton International is a company with a distinguished history. Founded in 1728 as a shipping service for tea, the company has remained in the Everton family for seven generations. As time has passed, Everton International has expanded into a multinational conglomerate enveloping fields from land, sea and air shipping, investment banking, and its flagship division, oil exploration and development. We are proud to remain at the forefront of every necessity in your daily life._

_Such prosperity would only be possible under the banner of a strong leader, and the wings of our current president have lifted us higher and higher. Having taken up the position of president in 1982 from his father, Captain Liam Everton has guided Everton International to untold levels of success. Known for his highly ambitious nature and skill in discerning good investments, Liam Everton's leadership has lead to an exponentially rewarding era for those invested with the company's banking services, while bringing new oil technologies to market. _

_We here at Everton International hope that through continued providing of our services, we can continue to guide your lives to great success."_

The video faded and then started to repeat, so Matt and the others looked away. "Are we done here now?" he asked with clear irritation.

"Boy, you're being crabby," Nekou pointed out in a half-joking manner. "What bug is up your ass?"

"Did you forget that I was just almost killed up there?"

It almost seemed as if that fact didn't even faze Nekou at all, judging from how indifferent her reaction was. "So? Calm down. It's not like you actually did die."

"But if I was dead, then…" Thoroughly befuddled by Nekou's bizarre logic, Matt decided to simply drop the subject. "Let's go."

With Matt taking the lead, the group collectively headed for the glass double doors that led out of the tower. The doors were surrounded by more glass, turning the front of the building into a giant window.

When the doors sensed Matt was nearby, they glided open to allow him, Olivia, Bunny and Nekou out. The four passed through, and then the gates slid shut.

Before they could take even more than a few steps out into the square in front of the Everton building, however, trouble once again found them. It was the hooded reporter with the Cinccino. She had been quietly watching the speech earlier in the room but had fled when the protestors attacked.

"Mr. Chiaki, please, a moment of your time?" Even though she was issuing a request, the reporter got in Matt's face anyway, not allowing him a real choice of what to answer. "What can you tell me about the Dreamyarn Inceptor?"

"Dreamyarn Inceptor?" Matt repeated in confusion while his friends lined up behind him. "Listen, lady, I don't know what you're talking about."

"But with your association with Liam Everton, shouldn't you know what he's working on? The public should know what Everton is up to in there!"

"I agree with you on that. The public does have the right to know what their industrial leaders are planning for them. That said, I don't work for Everton. My speech was merely on technology that may be subcontracted through Everton International."

"You… don't work for him?" The woman seemed genuinely surprised. She hadn't really thought over her background information on Matt, so in her haste she didn't realize that his association with Everton was merely a casual one. "I'm sorry, please forgive me."

"It's fine," Bunny chimed in. "But could you tell us what's going on?"

"I'm investigating Liam Everton and Everton International," explained the reporter. "After I finished my investigation of the Kodai Network Group in Unova, I discovered that Liam Everton was majority shareholder. Shortly after Grings Kodai went to prison, Liam Everton completely bought out the group and thus gained control of all of Kodai's inventions and research. Something about that just seemed so suspicious to me, so I've been on Everton's trail ever since. The one big thing I've discovered is that he was financing clandestine research at a laboratory known as the Dreamyard Lab in Unova. At that lab the scientists were studying the Pokémon Musharna, trying to see if they could harness the dreams it collects as an energy source."

"So what happened?" Olivia asked, completely enthralled by the story.

"There was an accident and the Dreamyard Lab melted down. Many of the researchers were killed in the blast. The head of the lab, a woman known as Dr. Fennel, survived, however. She lived in Striaton City for a while, but some time ago, she simply disappeared. I managed to get a hold of some of her research notes and through them, I discovered that they were developing a device called the Dreamyarn Inceptor to harness Musharna's powers. When I obtained a copy of the financial report for Everton International's last fiscal year, I found that 'DI DEV' was an item on the ledger."

"Dreamyarn Inceptor development," Nekou correctly guessed.

"Precisely. Liam Everton has reactivated development of the Dreamyarn Inceptor in this city and is planning something that gives me an ominous feeling. Listen, let's sit down and talk at the Balise Park Sports Bar tomorrow, late morning. I'm going to need your help."

"I promised I'd take Olivia to the festival tomorrow…"

"It's okay, Matt," the girl piped up, not losing her cheer. "We'll go to the festival after talking to her."

"Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Chiaki. It's very important that I find what I'm after before Everton's plans come to fruition."

-:-

Somewhere else in the city, in a dark underground room, a spark of light came to life. The coldness of the stone chamber was warmed by the fire surrounding a tiny, pale-yellow bodied foxlike Pokémon with large, pointy ears forming a red 'V' shape.

"…tini…" it said sadly, fluttering the wings attached to the backs of its legs as it stumbled forward. "Victini…"

Suddenly, a much brighter, blue light appeared in the room, reflecting vividly in Victini's large blue eyes. From the flash of light emerged the Legendary Pokémon Cresselia, the purple-and-yellow swan Pokémon known as the dispeller of evil dreams. Her glittering wings hung around her body like veils, and her light continued to shine on Victini as the smaller Pokémon grew excited.

"Tiniii! Victini, vic victini!"

Cresselia smiled lightly when Victini hugged her chest. Clearly, the two had a strong bond, and Victini disliked being apart from Cresselia. Even with no human words exchanged between them, the power of their connection could not be denied.

-:-

Darkrai hated the collar Everton forced it to wear. The device was uncomfortable and far too tight on its body, but Darkrai could do nothing about it. With no options and no way to escape, it could only circle around the perimeter of its cage nervously, like it had been doing for hours.

"Darkrai!"

It froze when Everton's voice boomed through the dank interior of the warehouse. The source was a video screen positioned not far from the cage, and Darkrai turned slowly to face it in anger.

"I see you're doing well, Darkrai," Everton taunted, the video screen showing him sitting at his desk in his office. "Listen well. Your mission is about to begin. When I release you into Whitegold City, you are to attack as many Pokémon as possible and put them to sleep. Continue doing that until Cresselia, your hated enemy, is drawn out. At that point, you are to fight Cresselia and do nothing more. Lest I remind you… if you disobey me at any time, that collar you're wearing will enable me to punish you. Am I understood?"

Darkrai simply glared at the screen. It, of course, could not answer in the way that Everton spoke to it, but the silence was enough of a response. Out of view of the screen, Everton pressed a button on his desk, opening up the cage on all sides but one.

"Now, go, Darkrai! Fulfill your purpose and bait forth Cresselia from the shadows!"

For a moment, Darkrai continued to stare at Everton, and Everton stared back. Finally, though, Darkrai backed down and cooperated, feeling there was no hope in trying to resist the captain's orders. It emerged from the opened cage and floated several feet forward before sinking into the shadows on the ground.

-:-

In his office, Everton closed the link to the warehouse from his computer, then pushed his chair back and rose from it. He calmly walked to the window, from where he could see the entirety of Whitegold City.

"Ah yes, Whitegold City," he said out loud, the lights from the metropolitan area glistening in his monocle and casting shadows across his aged face. "The place where the men of the Everton family made their fortunes. Tomorrow… everything will change."

-:-

Matt and his friends decided to seek lodging outside of the most heavily developed areas of the city, and thus found their way to a busy but less modern section not far from where they were. The buildings in this part of the city were closely packed and relatively small, but all were accented with elegantly-circling railings as well as being two stories tall.

Some hours earlier, right after leaving the Everton building, the group found a rather humble, cozy inn on a street corner in this neighborhood. Matt, Olivia and Bunny, now all dressed in more casual clothing, were sitting at a table in the bar area on the first floor and talking. The only other patrons present were two men playing darts on the other side of the room.

"Matt, you're sure you're doing alright?" Bunny was quite concerned over his well being. He had been acting unusually standoffish after the incident at the speech, and she knew that when he got like this, it meant something was wrong. "I'm worried about you…"

"Don't be. I'm only upset because someone disrupted what I worked so hard for so many years to achieve. ALEA may never be successful now because of what those three did."

"You shouldn't say that! Look at how much work you put into it, just like you said just now. You need to really believe in yourself and your invention. It could very well be the next evolution in global energy, just like you said in your speech. Look how good it did in Snowpoint City."

"You're right," Matt replied, his expression brightening slightly. "Thank you for being my friend, Bunny."

"Hey, you two, stop flirting for a minute and look at this!" Olivia had been looking through several brochures she'd collected from a stand in the inn, and judging from how enthusiastically she'd interrupted, there was something that got her very excited. "According to this, the festival is to celebrate the Legendary Pokémon Cresselia and Victini, and there will be a big party with floats and performers!"

"That must be where Butler is going to perform," Matt observed while rubbing his chin. "But Victini and Cresselia, huh? I wonder what the story behind them is. I've never even seen a Victini."

"So you kids want to know the story of Victini and Cresselia?" The elderly woman who tended the bar had overheard their conversation and walked over to the group's table.

"Oh, we don't want to inconvenience you, sorry." Bunny tried to laugh her off, as the woman had been cleaning glasses before coming over, and Bunny genuinely didn't want to disturb her. "I'm sure we'll find out tomorrow."

"Why wait?" the woman chuckled. "You're not bothering me. I've been in this town my whole life, and I've seen the place grow from a humble little outpost to the city you see today, so I know the stories from around here. You see, fifty years ago, Cresselia appeared in the city and drove out its hated enemy, Darkrai. It was at that point that Victini also appeared in the city, and everyone's fortunes changed. The nightmares created by Darkrai disappeared, and our atmosphere, which was stricken by wild inconsistency before, was stabilized by Victini's heat. Since then, the festival has been held every year to commemorate Cresselia and Victini changing the city's fortunes." Setting an old, worn book on the table, she continued, "Have a look at this. It's a log kept by Liam Everton's grandfather, Captain Becket Everton, during his travels throughout the world. In it, he recorded what he learned about various Legendary Pokémon in

the lands he visited. Have fun."

The woman could barely turn from the table before Matt had his hands on the book. He opened it and quickly thumbed through the aged pages, looking for Pokémon he didn't recognize or know well. Before long, he found one. On the page was a detailed painting of a majestic white dragon Pokémon with grand plumage on its wings and body, and two flowing locks streaming from its head. Its tail, which was also white, was in the shape of a torch. In fact, practically the only things not white in the Pokémon's entire appearance were its stark blue eyes.

"Reshiram," Matt read aloud. "This beast is written in the legends of Unova, where it is described as the Vast White Pokémon. In ancient times, Reshiram was wielded by the Hero of Truth, a prince who believed that truths were the strongest of all values. Fittingly, Reshiram's fires burn to reveal the truth that its allies seek to learn. Using this power, the Hero of Truth did battle with his brother, the Hero of Ideals, and his Zekrom. After a cataclysmic battle, Reshiram and Zekrom went into dormant states and were hidden away somewhere forever."

"I wonder what that means, exactly?" Olivia wondered. "A fire that burns to reveal the truth? I don't understand it at all."

Matt was silent. The potential of this journal's information was not lost on him, nor was the meaning of what it revealed. If Reshiram was a Pokémon that could reveal truth, gaining that power would allow him to finally resolve all of his guilt and regrets, especially over the death of Eleanor, a young woman who he'd fallen for on a previous adventure but lost just as quickly as he gained. He was searching for the answers behind a mysterious group called the Guild, which he had questioned Giovanni about the previous day, and also the answer to who initiated a quest for an item in the kingdom of La Ciudad Dorada known as the Griseous Orb. Reshiram's truth-revealing fire could theoretically guide him to both of these things.

Turning the page, Matt found what he was looking for. A picture of Victini was on this page, depicting the Pokémon with swirling frames around its body. It was accompanied by text just as Reshiram's picture was.

"Victini is the most inspiring Pokémon I have ever found, and that is why I am honored to have it as my partner aboard my ship. The warmth radiating from Victini… it is Victini's power, the Victory Star. The power to find any single victory so desired by the power's user. Oh Victory Star, shine the light on the path I must take to my dreams. Victini, turn my road into one of fortune…"

"That's a cool story," Olivia chimed in. "What if we could meet Victini? What would your one victory be?"

Though Olivia's question was not directed at her, Bunny answered anyway. "I'd want to make the greatest discovery in archeological history. Maybe it's a story we don't know about yet, or maybe we do know already. Either way, I would want to be able to make that find."

"Well, it's not too hard to guess what mine would be. I would use Victini's Victory Star to find out where my dad is."

The moment those words left Olivia's mouth, Matt froze up in horror. This one subject, the one he had spent the past five years trying to avoid having to confront, had come up again. Just prior to his death five years earlier, Olivia's father Rich had given Matt a document entrusting him with her care. Olivia had never learned the truth, partially because Matt was simply too afraid to tell her that her beloved father was gone, and as a result she presently believed that he had abandoned her. The fact that she was continually trying to force the issue wasn't helping in the least.

In order to avoid the touchy subject continuing forward, Matt coughed, then called out to the innkeeper, "May I keep this book? It may be quite useful for me to accomplish my goals."

"Sure, I don't care. I ain't got any use for it. Just make sure you take good care of it, because Becket Everton gave it to me personally."

"Thank you!" Turning back to Olivia and Bunny, Matt clasped his hands and rested his chin on them, then wondered, "I wonder where Nekou flaked out to?"

-:-

Driving down the glistening waters outside the urban area of the city was a large and elegant riverboat, providing an ivory-and-gold accent against the black water.

This wasn't just a leisure cruise, though. It was a casino boat, and Nekou was right there in the middle of all its patrons partaking in the pleasures it offered. She was sitting at a slot machine with a bottle of beer in one hand and Zorua in her lap. Visibly drunk, she was using her free hand to submit credits and pull its handle to send the multicolored tumblers spinning. Finally, Marie was perched atop the machine and looking down at the wheels, fascinated by the rainbow blurs they frequently became.

Nekou was doing moderately well, having made a few hundred credits in total from where she had started. Between her gambling and drinking, along with taking care of Marie and Zorua, she was content.

"Excuse me, young lady, might I have a moment?"

Interrupted from the bubble she'd placed herself in, Nekou turned around in her chair, discovering an older man in his sixties standing behind her. His brown suit had a somewhat low-cut neckline, revealing his collarbones and the upper part of the blue tie sloppily wrapped around his neck. Despite his age, though, his hair was still black, albeit thinning. An eyepatch of similar black coloring wrapped around his head and covered his left eye.

"Who're you, dude?" Nekou's speech was somewhat slurred from her drunken state. However, she was still lucid and coherent.

"I'd like to invite you to the card game I'm going to play with some of my friends. The name's Woods."

"Well I'll tell you, Woods… sure, let me get my things."

Zorua jumped onto Nekou's head as she stood, quickly being joined by Marie. Nekou only hesitated to hit the cash-out button on the slot machine so she could collect a ticket showing her final score.

Woods guided her across the casino to a blackjack table situated next to a window. While the slot machines had been on a tiled section of the floor, the card tables were on short red carpet instead. The casino was dimly lit with lamps mounted on the cream-colored walls, providing a warm atmosphere.

Three other men were already sitting at the table. They were all about Woods's age give or take a few years, and seemed to be eagerly awaiting the start of the game.

"You're late, Woods!" one of them blurted out upon seeing their friend. The scent of alcohol around the table was strong, explaining the three and their overly outgoing moods. "I've been looking forward to trying to beat you this time!"

"Quite a lady you've got on your arm tonight," another of the men said, gesturing to Nekou. "She's gotta be one of your finest scores."

"Finest scores? You picked me up just for eye candy?" Nekou's mood instantly changed when she understood what exactly Woods wanted her for, and she blushed furiously. "Man, fuck this! I can't believe you interrupted my game for this!"

"Please, I'm sorry... how about I make it up to you?" Woods offered.

"The rules don't work that way!" she shot back, blushing so forcefully that her face was bright red. "Who ever said you get the chance to make deals with me? That's none of your business!" Some other casino patrons were beginning to overhear the scene and begin staring. "This is all just such a big fucking insult… but… but… I guess I will hear you out. You've got thirty seconds."

"How about joining our game?"

That prospect instantly reverted Nekou back into her normal mood. "Challenge accepted, old man," she taunted as she sat down at the table. "Shuffle up and get ready for an asskicking."

"Just so you know," the third man said, "Woods is the best card player in this entire city. None of us have ever beaten him, and we've played every week for years."

"Doesn't mean a damn thing. Let's play."

-:-

The marshlands of Whitegold City were an unsettling place to be at night. Besides a few sounds from the nature around them, they were largely silent and abandoned.

One of the few pronounced noises in the marsh was the croaking of the Pokémon Seismitoad, which was generated not only with his mouth but the black-and-cream bumps all over his lumpy, uneven blue body. He was sitting on the banks of the marsh with a group of his previous evolutionary forums, Tympole and Palpitoad, surrounding him. The former was little more than a tan face on a ball-shaped black body with a tail and a blue bump on each side, while the latter had feet to stand upright, a third bump on its forehead, and a ring of smaller, pale bumps around its midsection.

This peaceful scene was disrupted when Darkrai emerged from the shadows of the marsh, startling the group of Pokémon. The Tympole and Palpitoad immediately jumped back in the water, acting quite skittishly, but Seismitoad stayed, intending to defend his home. He sprang into the air with his right arm cocked back, intending to hit Darkrai with Drain Punch, however, Darkrai dodged the attack by simply floating out of the way.

When Darkrai drifted down over the marsh bank, it suddenly got shocked by an electric blast coming from seemingly nowhere. Hidden in the mud was the flatfish Pokémon Stunfisk, which laughed as she deactivated her camouflage, revealing her brown body and yellow tail.

Angered by this sneak attack, Darkrai unleashed one of its strongest attacks, Dark Pulse. The blast of black-colored energy rings caused an explosion that flung the badly injured Stunfisk into the air, tossing her back in the water. Before Darkrai even had time to be proud of its work, though, Seismitoad burst up from the marsh in a second ambush, with his Drain Punch connecting this time.

Even though Drain Punch was super-effective typewise as a Fighting-type move, Darkrai shook it off easily. As a counterattack it brought its hands together to form an orb of darkness, which it threw at Seismitoad. After being engulfed in the Dark Void for a moment, the attack faded and Seismitoad fell into the water, fast asleep.

With Seismitoad defeated, Darkrai scanned the surrounding area. No other Pokémon were immediately present, so it flew off in search of more targets, just as Everton had ordered.

-:-

"I've never been pushed this far," Woods gasped. "I guess now it's all or nothing."

A crowd had gathered around the blackjack table as Woods pushed the final few chips he had left into the betting circle. His friends had been beaten in swift fashion, but Nekou's stack was vastly larger than his. Without a word, Nekou tossed a few chips into her own betting circle, and the dealer handed the players their cards on the green felt.

Woods had a seven of hearts and three of clubs, while Nekou had the ace and nine of spades. The dealer's face-up card was the ace of diamonds.

"Insurance?" she dutifully asked, being greeted by refusals from both remaining players. She then peeked at her face-down card, and, discovering it was not a card that would give her twenty-one, turned to Woods for his action.

"Hit, please."

"Hit." Another card was dealt to Woods – the nine of hearts, giving him a total of nineteen. "Hit or stand?"

"Stand."

"Stand. Nekou?"

Nekou looked down on her cards and thought carefully for a second. Despite being drunk and still drinking, her thoughts were becoming clearer, not cloudy. "Hit me."

An audible gasp went up among the gathered crowd when the next card came out – another ace, this one of clubs. Counting it as eleven, Nekou now had a twenty-one.

With no more action to be taken, the dealer turned over her hole card. It was the nine of diamonds, giving her twenty. Immediately, the room went silent, as the dealer's hand fell just over Woods's hand but just under Nekou's, meaning she won while he lost, and he had no chips left. Moments later, cheering broke out. No one that night expected the city's best gambler to lose.

"Impossible…" the old gambler gasped, staring down at the cards on the table. "I can't have…"

"Well you did lose," Nekou said smugly. "Still think I'm just eye candy?"

"No, not at all," Woods replied while shaking his head and smiling. "It's like the luck of Victini's Victory Star was bestowed upon you."

"Victini? Victory Star? What are you on now?"

"Victini is a Pokémon that has the power to bring victory. They say that if you make a contract with Victini, you will be given the Victory Star, the power to find the victory you desire most. Someone like you, though… you make your own luck. I'm impressed a young woman like yourself is so successful."

"Don't get too jealous. Not everyone can do what I did."

-:-

Early the next day, the group headed back to Balise Park to seek out the sports bar where they were to meet the female reporter. At some point during the night, Nekou had made it back to the inn somehow, and was found by her friends in a discombobulated mess on the couch, snoring loudly. They let her sleep for as long as they could before waking her up around ten. As well, they also decided to keep their formal clothing from the speech for the day.

Matt was thankful that the reporter was waiting for his group at the door of the sports bar, a fact that enabled them to head right for a table.

Almost immediately, Nekou beckoned a waiter and demanded, "I want some beer and a plate of hot wings!"

"Right away, miss," the waiter responded. He turned and walked off, his shoes banging loudly on the wooden floor as he made his way behind the bar, made of a similar darkened, finished material.

"More beer already?" Matt said incredulously, unable to believe she could drink any more. "I find it hard to believe you can actually down more beer after how much you must have had last night."

"Shut up. Everyone knows the best way to come off a night of heavy drinking is one more beer and a huge plate of hot wings."

"You're my hero," Olivia chimed in.

Unable to deal with the escalating rapport between Nekou and Olivia, which he viewed as an extremely negative influence on the latter, Matt lowered his head to the table, causing the white fedora he was now wearing with his suit to fall off.

Amused, the reporter chuckled. "She's quite the energetic girl. You're lucky to have her. I can sympathize… my son's a handful at times himself."

"She isn't my daught… oh wait, you know that already." With the conversation started, Matt lifted his head and put his hat back on. He hesitated to speak for a moment, as Nekou's beer and hot wings arrived, but when he did say something, he had to raise his voice somewhat to be heard over the televisions in the bar. The background noise was more coverage of the upcoming Pokémon Bowl. "I don't think we've formally met. You know I'm Matt Chiaki and my student here is Olivia Mistbloom, but I'd like you to meet my friend Bunny…" Bunny nodded when she was mentioned, "…and this one over here is Nekou Langley. She's my bodyguard or something, or at least she thinks she is. I don't have a clue."

"Shove it," Nekou argued while sloppily stuffing the wings in her mouth. "It's not like I saved you from some murderous goons yesterday, right?"

"Well…" Matt did his best to ignore Nekou's insults, but he did look rattled. "…collectively, this is my bizarre little group that I call the Triad of Revenge. We seek the truth behind mysteries that have harmed peoples' lives."

"A noble goal. Now allow me to introduce myself…" The woman removed her glasses and took off her hood, revealing her purple eyes and flowing black hair. Her Cinccino jumped up on her shoulder to join her. "Undercover reporter Rowena Byrne, at your service."

"The same Rowena Byrne who brought down Grings Kodai from the inside?" In his surprise, Matt had leaned back in his chair with his one good eye widened. A number of thoughts ran through his head, and he wasn't sure how to sort them out. "I guess I'm honored to meet you, because I bought your book five years ago and enjoyed it thoroughly, but…"

"I bought your book too," Bunny added without prompting. "Good work on it. I have to say, though, I'm surprised you're here right now, being a single mother with a young son and all…"

"I live my life according to my own rules, so my son has everything he needs more than sorted out. I don't need anyone to be concerned for me."

"I get an ominous feeling," Matt said lowly, trying to guide the conversation back on track. "If you're here… someone like you, who accomplished so much in the battle against a corrupt executive once before… well, I guess what I'm trying to say is, if someone like you with a reputation as a muckraker who publishes explosive stories is here, something big is happening, isn't it?"

"You have a good head on your shoulders," Rowena complimented, albeit remaining deadly serious. "I'll lay all my cards on the table and be honest with you up front, because I'm going to need your help. After we took down Grings Kodai, I had access to all the records and files of the Kodai Network Group, the corporation he was the president and CEO of. Most of the documents simply covered Kodai's various technological investments and advancements, but eventually, I got to the financial records. Contained within those records was the information on the board of shareholders of the company. It turned out that the majority shareholder, holding seventy-five percent of the total shares available at the time Kodai was arrested, was Liam Everton."

Matt and Bunny reacted with visible surprise upon hearing this revelation, while Nekou even stopped eating for a moment. It wasn't actually new news that Everton was the majority shareholder in the Kodai Network Group, especially being that Rowena had told them this just the day before, but none of them expected to learn that he actually controlled that much of a share in the company.

Rowena continued, "After Kodai was arrested, his assets were seized and liquidated by the Unova government. The collapse of such a giant corporation could have sent shock waves through the entire global market, so Liam Everton stepped in and bought out all the remaining shares, essentially taking over the assets of the Kodai Network Group. That included all of Kodai's old inventions and innovations. And as I told you yesterday, I have discovered proof that he funded clandestine research at the Dreamyard Lab. With all of that, combined with the disappearance of Dr. Fennel, I have reason to believe that Liam Everton is up to something very sinister that is quickly coming to a head."

"That's all some very alarming information," Matt said pensively while leaning into his clasped hands. "What can we do about it?"

"There will be a lot of additional publicity focused on this city for the next couple of days because of the festival and Pokémon Bowl. We must use this opportunity to discover the truth about whatever it is Everton is planning and expose it to the world before it's too late. I have a source with some connections to Everton International on his way here to speak with us."

Olivia's Minccino suddenly appeared on the table; Olivia had let her out in order to feed her some hot wings that Nekou shared, only for Minccino to dislike the taste and leap up to get away. When she saw Rowena's Cinccino, she went up to her evolved form and sniffed nervously. Cinccino responded positively and jumped down from Rowena's shoulder, beckoning Minccino to play with her on the floor.

"Ah, Rowena, there you are!"

While the two Normal-type Pokémon ran around after each other near the table, soon being joined by Marie and Zorua, Woods approached at a brisk clip from behind Rowena. The moment Nekou saw him, she nearly choked on the chicken in her mouth.

"You!" she exclaimed. "You're that guy whose ass I kicked at blackjack last night! Why are you here?"

Woods was equally surprised to see Nekou. "I should have figured you'd still be in town, but I didn't think you'd be on your feet after how much beer you drank last night."

"Don't bother," Matt warned. "I've already tried to get through to her. She just keeps drinking and it doesn't even seem to affect her that much."

"I guess some of you have already met, then," Rowena narrated. "But for formal introductions, Matt, Nekou, Bunny, Olivia, allow me to introduce you to Woods, my source. Woods, these four are travelers who seek truth. They're going to help me on my report on Everton."

"I see," Woods said as he sat down at the table. "I'll be of whatever help I can be. You see, I used to work for Everton International a long time ago. I have no idea how things are now but I was there for many years."

"What can you tell us about what Everton actually is after?"

"Matt, was it? Matt, I'm sorry, but all I can offer is that it involves Victini somehow."

"Isn't Victini just a legend?" both Matt and Nekou said simultaneously, prompting a coordinated gasp from both of them.

"No. Victini may be written in the folklore of this city, but it is real. Victini is very real. I have seen it with my own eyes. Now, this is just a hypothesis, but I think he may be planning to use Victini's Victory Star to discover untapped sources of oil, so that the world does not run out. He may have shady methods but he really means well, I think."

"I see." Matt did not change his contemplative pose. "What is the Victory Star exactly?"

"And how exactly does it work?" Nekou added. "The boat docked before you really had a chance to tell me the details!"

"I'll answer both of you. The Victory Star is the tale behind Victini's legendary reputation in the first place. It is the power to see the path to any one single victory, granted by special fire flowing into the chosen bearer's body. However, it requires a contract to be made with Victini in order for the power to be obtained. What that contract entails, what its conditions are, I don't know. What I do know is that the Victory Star will only work for the victory desired when the contract is made. As I described, it shows the path to a single desired victory, so if Everton could obtain its power, he could search for new oil fields with no challenges whatsoever. That's a goal I could get behind."

"So Everton is not a bad guy?" Olivia wondered, fading into the conversation.

"We don't know yet," Rowena clarified. "He may be, or he may not be. We just can't say yet. What we do know is that he has been acting extremely suspiciously, and that has to be investigated."

"Rowena, what should we do now?"

"Bunny, for now, just go to the festival and have a good time. I'll be in touch if I learn anything."

Olivia suddenly realized something and stared back at Woods. "Mr. Woods, you said you've seen Victini, didn't you? Would you be able to take us to see Victini?"

"I can't make any promises, little girl. Come by my home later and we can discuss it. I live out on the shores of the marshland on the other side of town. I can't promise that I can bring you to Victini, but I do have an idea where it might be."

"Awesome! Thanks!"

"Oh, Matt…" Rowena had clearly remembered something, and from the sudden redoubling of her seriousness, it was important. "If you see any pink clouds, stay away from them."

"Pink clouds? What are you talking about?"

"There's a strange sickness going around in Pokémon in the city right now. Several people I've spoken to have reported seeing strange pink clouds appear, and when their Pokémon were exposed to the substance, they fell into a trance-like state. Everton has tried to quarantine the areas of the city where the outbreaks are."

"I guess we'll watch out for them, then. Thanks for the warning."

-:-

Shortly after that, the group split from Rowena, who went off to do some more investigating elsewhere, and Woods, who returned to his marshland home. As the festival was taking place in the same area as where their inn was located, the foursome went back there.

Even in the relatively short time they were gone, the activity level in the streets had increased greatly. People were everywhere, crowding around colorful floats, street performers, shops and other varied forms of entertainment. All the colors rising up from the festive settings casted a fascinating contrast against the gray, cloudy sky that day.

"Ohhh! Look at it all!" With wide, excited eyes, Olivia looked around at all the things surrounding her. She could see a float with two Bellossom dancing alongside two Lilligant, a Grass-type with the appearance of a young woman wearing a green skirt and a giant, crown-topped flower in her hair. "Over here! Let's go!"

Olivia rushed off into the crowd, leaving Matt, Nekou and Bunny to pursue her. Their shoes loudly banged against the stones of the street while they pushed their way through in their attempts to follow Olivia, but it was hopeless, as the girl had built up far too much of a distance.

Perhaps luckily for them though, something else diverted Olivia's attention, and she never made it to the Bellossom and Lilligant float. They found her stopped at a merchandise cart on the street, one that was overflowing with colorful goods related to the festival.

"Good morning, young lady," the elderly man operating the cart said to Olivia. "Do you see anything you like?"

He could have been addressing the question to any of the four, though, as Olivia was not the only one taken by all of the merchandise available to purchase. Dolls were piled high in the middle of the cart, while jewelry hung on racks attached to one side and fabric goods rested on the other. Matt, Bunny and Nekou all found themselves wanting something from the selection, especially Nekou.

"I'll take a Cresselia plushie, please!" Olivia decided after a moment of contemplation.

"Could you add one of those Cresselia hair pins?" Bunny asked, pointing out a hair pin shaped like Cresselia's head.

"I'd like that Victini keychain for my bag," Matt added.

"Boy, I haven't done this much business in a long time!" chuckled the old man as he gathered up the purchases ordered by his customers. "I owe you a lot of thanks!"

Matt turned to Nekou out of reflex just then, and noticed her standing in tense silence with her fist clenched. "What's wrong?" he asked, surprised by her mood.

"I want a lot of this stuff, but I can't have it."

"Of course you can. I'm not…" Matt stopped himself from talking when the true meaning of Nekou's words came through on him. It wasn't that anyone was telling her not to get the things she wanted, she couldn't afford it. That was why she couldn't have them. "I'm paying for everyone else's, so why don't I pay for yours too?"

Immediately, Nekou blushed profusely and pulled away, but she answered, "Fine, if you want."

"It's not a big deal. Just pick out what you want me to get you."

"I… I want one of those big Victini dolls, first… then this blanket…"

After the oversized Victini plush, Nekou pointed out a long, thick blue blanket that had purple-and-black bands just before its ragged ends. The cart's owner smiled as he put it in the huge plastic bag all the merchandise they were purchasing was going into.

"That's a good choice," he said. "It's based on ancestral designs of the people who first settled this city."

"It looks comfortable, that's all that's important right now," Nekou countered, though she was interested in the idea of the blanket being a cultural design. "I want that phone charm too," she added while pointing to a charm of Victini flashing its victory symbol. "And… I want that necklace! That one right there!"

The necklace in question was one of an eight-pointed star, constructed by two overlaying four-point stars, on a long brown string. In the star the four diagonal points were laid on top of the four straight points, and the two upper diagonal sections along with the middle were colored red to create a 'V' shape. Meanwhile, the lower diagonal portions were light blue, while the four straight sections were dark purple.

"You like that necklace? Let me tell you, that thing is the Victory Star."

"So that's what the Victory Star looks like?" Bunny questioned.

"Indeed," the man said with a nod. "An eight-pointed star that guides its owner to victory. Finding victory is such an important power that sailing compasses were designed based on the Victory Star thousands of years ago."

"The eight directions, right?" Olivia ventured, albeit stating the obvious.

"Exactly. I'll tell you what, you four have been more than generous as customers, so I'll throw in the necklace for free."

"Thank you!" Nekou exclaimed, grabbing for the necklace without a hesitation. She immediately put it on and held the Victory Star on the necklace in her hands for a moment before letting it fall into the upper part of her cleavage.

"Wow, you really love that thing, don't you?"

Once again, Nekou recoiled from Matt. "It's mine! Hands off!"

"I don't want it. Don't worry." Turning around to the old man running the cart, Matt handed off five paper bills as payment for the large assortment of goods his group had purchased. In response the elderly salesman smiled as he handed over their bag.

"Thank you for your business. Have a nice day, all of you."

"You too." Though she was smiling, Bunny stopped in a moment of realization. A logical question she should have asked sooner had just come into mind. "But what are we going to do with all of this stuff now?"

She was surprised to see Matt smile immediately in response to her question. "I already know exactly what to do. Hethna, make your mark!"

Matt threw the Poké Ball into the air, and his Golurk appeared from the light that burst out. While Hethna raised its arms and let out a low rumble of a cry, Matt put the ball away and held up the bag.

"Hethna, come here please. Lean down."

"Goluh." Hethna followed the instruction and leaned forward. The stones of the street cracked slightly under the shifting of its immense weight.

"Thank you." After hooking the bag over the jagged offshoot emerging from Hethna's shoulder, Matt said to it, "Fly to New Bark Town and drop that off at the spa we'll be staying at. Remember I told you about that? Please, take it there."

"Golurgh!" Affirming its mission with a slight nod, Hethna retracted its hands into its arms and legs into its body to create three rockets, which it used to power itself off into the sky.

Staring upward at where Hethna had gone, Olivia skipped a beat and then said, "I love that thing."

"You know, I agree with you," Nekou concurred. "A golem that can fly like a super robot? It's almost too awesome to be serve the person it does."

"Shut up."

Nekou shrugged in response to Matt. "What? I said almost."

"You know what? This day is too exciting for me to let myself get worked up because of your pot stirring. Let's go find something else to do."

Combining their efforts, the four scanned the area for something else that struck their fancy as an activity. The search wasn't easy, partially owing to how many people there were around but also partially due to how far apart the various attractions were.

It was Bunny who finally spotted something. "Hey, look over there! That looks fun!"

It was a wide plastic pool that she was pointing at. Pictures of a small, white fish Pokémon covered the pool's sides, while larger, dark-blue eel Pokémon wrapped around the perimeter in a straight line. Rental fishing poles were lined up for the players of the game to use.

"Excuse me, what's going on here?" Matt asked of the young man running the attraction as he led his group to it.

"This is the Tynamo Fishing game," he explained while nervously adjusting his suspenders. "You rent a fishing pole, then try to reel in a Tynamo so you can battle and capture it. There are even a couple of Eelektrik, Tynamo's evolved form, in there. Want to give it a try?"

"Of course I do!" Olivia declared, pushing herself to the forefront. "I love the water!"

"They're Electric types," Nekou gently informed Olivia, "not Water. They just live in the water."

"Oh. Well, it doesn't matter." After being handed a fishing rod, the girl immediately threw the line into the pool. "My dad loved to go out and fish from his boat. He'd go out on the ocean near Hoenn all the time and…"

Matt was relieved for multiple reasons when Olivia's rambling was interrupted by a tug on her line. He wasn't just glad that she was succeeding. He also did not want to talk about Rich, and if Olivia continued telling of her fond memories, questions he was not ready to answer would inevitably be asked.

One of the tiny white Pokémon emerged when Olivia pulled up her line. "Tynaaaaaaaa!" he cried as he floated in midair like he was swimming.

"So that's a Tynamo! You're kind of cute, so let's go at it! Minccino, let's play!" Once Minccino was sent out, Olivia wasted no time in calling out, "Tail Slap!"

In its typical hyperactive nature, Minccino rushed Tynamo at high speed, jumped up and spun around, hitting the Electric-type a total of four times with her tail. Tynamo suffered immediate and critical damage, and as a result, he fainted and was knocked back into the water.

"Aww!" Olivia sighed in disgust. "I really wanted to capture that Tynamo!"

Suddenly, Matt appeared next to her, also holding a fishing rod. "Now let me show you how it's really done."

"Are they gonna throw down in a fishing argument?" Nekou was utterly titillated by the developing fight she saw coming. "I wish I had a drink to watch this with."

"I hope Matt doesn't overdo this…" Bunny worried.

At the sideline of the fishing pool, Matt dramatically turned from the crowd, faced the pool, and cast his line. He did not say anything while his bait was in the water, but he could feel the eyes of not just the crowd but those of Nekou, Bunny and especially Olivia watching him.

When he felt the pull on his line, he immediately pulled back. One of his first thoughts was how heavy the Pokémon felt for a Tynamo, but indeed, it wasn't a Tynamo at all. She was one of the Eelektrik, the eel that was evolved form of Tynamo with a cream-colored stomach and fins.

"We have a winner, folks!" the game's operator thundered over a loudspeaker. "Everyone look right now! He's going to fight one of the rare Eelektrik!"

In an instant, the other players in the game pulled up their lines and surrounded Matt, who was facing off against the wild Eelektrik with an Ultra Ball in his hand.

"You ought to make for some good training, so let's see what I'll get out of this. Subzero, make your mark!"

Matt threw the Ultra Ball upward, sending out a white bear cub Pokémon with a large mucus drip falling from its nose. This Cubchoo, nicknamed Subzero, growled at his opponent while simultaneously trying to sniff the drop back up.

"Start this off with Ice Beam!"

Subzero sneezed, pushing forth a concentrated stream of ice in the direction of Eelektrik. The water-dwelling Electric-type sprang into the air to dodge, but still got clipped across the back end of her tail, causing her to crash back down to the ground.

"Eeeelek!" Staring right back at Subzero, Eelektrik opened her mouth and shot two bursts of green acid out.

When this Acid Spray attack made contact with Subzero's skin, he began to wail in pain as the liquid burned him. His endurance withered because of the harsh effects the Acid Spray had, reflected in the burns left on his body.

"Try Ice Beam again!" Matt did his best to sound encouraging so Subzero wouldn't be fearful, but he had significant doubts after seeing the unexpected extent of Acid Spray.

With his body weakened, Subzero could only muster up an Ice Beam of about half the strength of the first one. Eelektrik was able to neutralize it with a Thunderbolt, which she then followed with a second that sent high amounts of voltage coursing through Subzero's body, making him scream.

Matt had seen enough. He took the Ultra Ball that Subzero called home back out, intending clearly to call him back. "Subzero, you've done enough. Your body can't handle much more of…"

However, before Matt could do anything, Eelektrik cut across the battlefield at blinding speed to tackle Subzero. The Cubchoo was sent flying and crashed into a nearby wall, then he fell forward to the ground.

"Subzero!"

"Well that was disappointing," Nekou mouthed off to no one in particular. "I thought he'd improved at least a little since yester…"

Not only was Nekou's snark cut off, but every single person watching the battle was left stunned when a bright light erupted around Subzero. He slowly stood back up, then looked to the sky and cried out. His height increased by roughly eight times as his once-tiny limbs became a pair of sturdy legs and a pair of powerful claws. The ever-present mucus drip disappeared, being replaced by a beard of icicles.

"Ti beaaa!" Subzero roared in a deep voice that echoed through the streets, his new body towering over Eelektrik and all humans present.

"An evolution?" Bunny guessed.

"Indeed, that is Beartic, Cubchoo's evolution," Nekou explained, losing her sarcasm for a moment. "Let's see how this plays out, maybe he will create an interesting show for us…"

"It's already incredible!" Olivia couldn't contain her excitement. "Subzero went from being adorable to being a badass! Go for it, Subzero!"

Matt certainly didn't mind the boost of confidence his friends' compliments were giving him. "Now that you've got some real muscle to back it up, use Brick Break!"

Dropping to all fours, Subzero made use of his newly strengthened body to rush Eelektrik. Before the Electric-type could react, he pulled up his right arm and slugged her right in the midsection, causing a great bruise from an impact that sent her into the air.

"And so everything comes together, and the answer becomes clear," Matt lowly said, taking an empty Poké Ball in his hand. "The target is Eelektrik! Go, Poké Ball!"

Just as Eelektrik landed, she was struck by the Poké Ball, which opened and absorbed her in the form of red light. After dropping to the ground, the ball rocked back and forth for several seconds, before the red light on the ball's button turned white and a pinging noise sounded.

Without a word, Matt walked over to the now-sealed ball and picked it up. The eyepiece on his mask opened to reveal his mechanical left eye, with which he scanned the sphere.

"A female Eelektrik… welcome to the team, Charlotte."

"Good job pulling that out," Bunny complimented as the three women returned from the sidelines. "And well done to you too, Subzero."

"Bea, bea," Subzero said in embarrassed gratification.

"You weren't kidding when you said you were going to show me how it was done, were you? I can see why I couldn't catch Tynamo…"

"Don't beat yourself up, Olivia. I would have lost that fight if Subzero didn't evolve."

"You know," Nekou interrupted while smiling sneakily, "I just got why you named that Eelektrik Charlotte. You really had a good name in your head for her."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm sure the readers will figure it out quickly enough. They're not stupid."

"The readers?" Judging by his facial expression, Matt was becoming even more lost, and he was beginning to think that Nekou was deliberately trying to confuse him. "Seriously, Nekou, have you totally lost it?"

"The readers are watching everything you and I do, but fine, I won't bother trying to explain it. I wasn't disappointed in how you did just now, anyway. You might just have a shot at finding some of those truths you spoke of… that is, if you don't get ahead of yourself."

Looking to abate the rising frustration and anger he felt, Matt took a deep breath. "Ordinarily I'd ask someone like you what was with all the head puns, but today I don't think I want to know. It's probably more suffering than it's worth."

"Hey guys, look over there."

Olivia's distraction helped to break up the bizarre dispute between Matt and Nekou, and for that, he was thankful. Nekou, on the other hand, was enjoying it, but she chose not to say anything. Regardless of that, what Olivia was pointing at was the elderly woman who lived on the marsh with her Gothitelle; the two of them were sitting on a street corner at a small stand with a sign reading "Fortune Telling" posted on it. She only had one customer at the present, who just happened to be Katorena.

"Katorena!" Matt called out while he headed toward the stand with his group. "Imagine running into you here!"

"Hmph, so it's the ruffian again, is it?" Unlike the day before, when Katorena leveled insults, it was plain that she was doing it in good spirits now. "I cannot fathom what someone like yourself would see in such a thing as fortune telling."

"Not a thing actually. I don't stomach supernatural stuff all that easily."

"That's your loss then," Katorena mocked, turning back to the table. "Psychic-types have a close link to the supernatural. Therefore, I am inclined to investigate such things."

"You're quite the bold child, aren't you?" ventured the old fortuneteller. "Very well, Gothitelle, examine her fate."

"Gothitelle." The Pokémon repeated her own name as she raised her arms and stiffened her body.

A blue glow appeared around both Gothitelle and Katorena, and between Gothitelle's uplifted hands, a swirling cluster of energy that appeared to be a portal of some kind materialized. Inside the portal, a distant galaxy could be seen.

"Ah, I see… Katorena, was it? Katorena, your present is clouded by doubt and your future is in question. You don't know what road you are traveling right now, all you know is that your current path is constrained and you desperately want to change it. As for the future, whatever path you do decide to take will lead to trials for you. Whether you can overcome those trials will be up to your own will, but friends will be there to help you if you need it."

"Friends?"

"Your friends will always be there for you…" The meaning of Katorena's hesitation suddenly hit Matt, and he had to pause for a second. "You don't know what friends are?"

"What right have you to lecture me, plebian?"

"It's fine. Friends are people you can count on to always have your back through anything. Humans are social creatures, we survive better in groups instead of alone." Matt grasped the front of his hat and pulled it down slightly, creating a shadow that covered his eyes. "I know how it can feel when you don't have anyone like that."

"Fine. But I don't need your pity."

"What you do need is to stand aside," Nekou rudely declared, "because if you two are going to circlejerk over friendship, it's my turn to get my fortune read."

Nekou pushed Matt out of her way and sat down at the table, prompting the old fortuneteller to laugh. It was easy for her to tell that Nekou was suppressing a lot of her excitement and forcing herself to come off as calm.

"I'm feeling a lot of spiritual energy coming off of you," she uttered, smiling wryly. "It's people like you who make what I do enjoyable."

"Well obviously. It's not like I'm boring like certain people I know." Nekou threw a slight glance over her shoulder at Matt as she said this. "Now what do I have to do?"

"First, I will need to grasp your hands. This will help me establish a connection to your spiritual energy, which will make it easier for Gothitelle and I to see your future."

"Alright, let's do this."

Nekou put both of her hands onto the table, and the fortuneteller took them up in her own. She held Nekou's smooth skin with her aged and rough but firm grasp. She then shut her eyes and focused mentally, trying to connect her mind to Nekou's.

Though she succeeded after a relatively quick time, whatever she saw in Nekou's mind horrified her. She broke her hold on Nekou's hands and pulled away, gasping deeply for air.

"What's wrong?" Matt exclaimed, darting over to the table in his concern. "What happened?"

"That woman's… your mind…" Gothitelle had to support her owner, who was so shaken from the mental link that she could barely move. "What… I couldn't see it clearly, but… there was something horrible in there…"

"In my mind?" Nekou was just as confused herself as to what was going on.

"I'm… I'm sorry, please forgive me. I can't complete this reading as it is right here. Here's my card…" The old woman reached into her earthy-colored robes and produced an index card, which had a map drawn on it that pointed out the location of her home on the marshland. After handing it over to Nekou, she added, "Again, I'm sorry. Please come to my home later today and I will be more than happy to finish the reading for you."

"Uh… thanks, I guess."

With the card in hand, Nekou stood up and rejoined the group with Matt, coming to stand several feet away from the fortunetelling stand. There was a brief, awkward silence, showing how the turn of events had affected them.

It was Bunny that finally spoke to break the uncomfortable situation. "You're okay, right?" she asked of Nekou. "I can't imagine what she saw in your mind that upset her so much."

"It's not your problem," Nekou replied, her voice showing a hint of irritation. "My mind is my absolute territory. If there was something in it that someone doesn't like, too fucking bad."

"Ordinarily I'd tell you to calm down," commented Matt with a sigh, "but frankly, this time I can understand why you're upset. I don't blame you."

"That's because you shouldn't blame her!" Olivia's sudden outburst startled all the others, except, of course, for Nekou. "She didn't do anything wrong!"

Matt opened his mouth to say something harsh to Olivia, even though what she'd said was correct. However, he never got the words out, as the sound of cheering floated over the air from down the street.

"I wonder what all that's about?" he wondered. "Let's go check it out. Katorena, you're free to come along."

"The likes of myself should not be associating with plebian scoundrels like you people. That said, I am more than willing to gift you with my presence for a while."

"You're not that important," Nekou deadpanned to insult Katorena.

"Well maybe so, but I'm still above people like you lot!"

"Shut up, both of you!" Matt angrily snapped. He was absolutely not in the mood to deal with an argument. "Just come along and let's go check out what's going on over there."

A crowd had gathered at the corner of one block nearby, leaving Matt and the group to push their way through.

Once they reached the front of the crowd, they could see what was going on. Butler and Diane were there, conducting the show they had mentioned the day before. Their current performance involved a hulking, brown Pokémon with the appearance of a troll from mythology. He was juggling a pair of huge concrete blocks using his heavily muscular arms along with his body, which had purple veins popping out of it.

"And there you have it!" Butler shouted with a theatrical flair as he gestured with his wand at the Pokémon. "Ladies and gentlemen, the incredible strength of Conkeldurr!"

Conkeldurr stopped juggling the blocks and leaned on them like canes while he grunted graciously to the crowd, who were giving him a sizeable amount of applause. It was then that Diane spotted Matt, Katorena and the others in the front of the crowd and informed Butler quietly of their presence.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to invite a couple of very talented people on to perform a trick with us. I met these two yesterday and was completely impressed by how well they showed off. So, I'd like to extend a welcome to Matt and Katorena! Come on out!"

After hesitating for a brief moment, Matt and Katorena emerged from the crowd to join Butler and Diane inside their show. They were given a rather healthy amount of applause upon their entrance.

"Thank you for your kindness, everyone. I think what we'll show you next will be a very simple card trick that will pit minds against minds."

"Send out your Sigilyph and Beheeyem," Diane whispered to Matt and Katorena as a bit of stage guidance.

"Very well, if that's what you want. Ayingott, make your mark!"

"Hmph, fine. Beheeyem, I call you forth!"

Matt's Sigilyph, Ayingott, was joined by Katorena's Beheeyem as she came out of her Poké Ball. Once they were out, Butler released a Gardevoir of his own.

"What we are about to do is see if one brain can thwart two," the magician explained to the audience. "As you can see, Gardevoir is being blindfolded…" Diane took the appropriate action during this description, while Butler took a deck of playing cards from his suit. "This is a standard deck of playing cards. Sigilyph and Beheeyem will mix the cards up to an impossible degree, and we will see if their combined psychic power is enough to beat Gardevoir's!"

Once he was done setting the trick up, Butler threw the entire deck of cards into the air. The fifty-two cards broke apart and scattered.

"Ayingott, use Psychic!"

"You use Psychic too, Beheeyem!"

Ayingott and Beheeyem simultaneously used their mental power to take hold of the cloud of playing cards while it was still in midair, with the former's eyes glowing and the latter's fingers flashing. They mixed it up, spun the cards around each other, and repeatedly shuffled the group at incredible speed. Finally, they lowered the cards to the ground, making sure that all of them were face down.

"Excellent work, my friends!" Butler complimented. "Gardevoir, it's your turn now. Teleport!"

Even thought she was still blindfolded, Gardevoir used her power to make a single card disappear off the ground. Butler then approached a young boy who was watching from the head of the crowd and leaned down to see eye-to-eye with him.

"I can see you've been enjoying the show, little guy. How do you feel about being a part of it? Tell me, what card do you think Gardevoir teleported?"

"I…I…" clearly, the boy was nervous and had never expected to have Butler approach him. "I guess… the three… of hearts?"

"Let's see if you're right." Rising up to his full height, Butler flicked his wrist, producing the teleported card from his sleeve.

He lifted it up and then turned it, revealing that it was, indeed, the three of hearts, which prompted an outburst of cheering from the crowd. As a reward for correctly guessing, Butler gave the boy the card, without mentioning that he couldn't have lost with how the trick was set up.

"So yes, it is true! One brain can beat two, but we mustn't undercut the accomplishment of our young participant, so make sure he gets a hand too! And a hand, again, for Matt, Katorena, Sigilyph and Beheeyem, all very generous in the time they took to perform for you today!"

"Thank you!" Matt called to the crowd, waving to them amidst the applause he was getting. Katorena, on the other hand, remained silent.

After a few seconds of acknowledging the applause, Matt and Katorena recalled their Pokémon and rejoined Nekou, Olivia and Bunny, and then the larger group pushed back out of the crowd.

"You know," Nekou said just as they got out of the crowd, who remained enraptured as Butler continued his show, "I already figured out how he did that trick."

"Don't ruin it." Matt was swift in stopping her. "It was a fun thing to do, so I don't want to know."

"I do," Olivia chimed in, much to Matt's annoyance.

"I'll tell you later then, because Matt wants to be an ass about it."

"Come on, Nekou, can't you watch your mouth around her?" he complained, worried of the possibility that Olivia would learn from Nekou as she already seemed to be. "She's going to start picking up that kind of language!"

"I'll say what I want, when I want, where I want and to who I want. If you have a problem with that, fuck you. I don't get stepped on by anyone."

"Ah yes, that is a good moral to live your life by. I must say, it's quite admirable."

Standing in the street in front of the group, his right hand in his pocket, was Liam Everton, with his Klinklang and Cryogonal floating behind him.

-:-

Victini had slipped out into the city, so for the time being, Cresselia was resting. The light from her body illuminated the dark underground chamber where she was.

Suddenly, something she sensed caused her to snap to attention. She lowered her head and growled angrily, then disappeared.

-:-

"You…" Bunny gasped. "Aren't you…?"

"Yes. Please allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Captain Liam Everton." Wearing a smile he worked hard to maintain, Everton extended his hand to Matt and got a handshake out of it. "A good, firm handshake. That's a necessity for a businessman, so I have to say I respect that. It's good that we've finally met."

"I agree, but…" Something about this situation was making Matt uncomfortable, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "Don't you have a lot to do? I guess I'm just surprised to see you here."

"I can't say I blame you for thinking that," Everton said with a sarcastic chuckle. "Being an executive on the world stage does bury you in paperwork. I'm just taking some time off to enjoy my city during its most exciting time."

While the adults conversed, Olivia was busy examining Everton's two Pokémon. She had already looked over Klinklang and was now right on top of Cryogonal, studying it with fanatical zeal. Both Pokémon were reacting with embarrassed appreciation of the attention.

"Your Pokémon are really cool, Captain! They look really strong too!"

"Thank you, young lady. They have been my partners for over thirty-five years now. So might I ask, why are you still here now that your speech is over?" Obviously, Everton's question was directed at Matt.

"Well, Olivia wanted to see the festival and the Pokémon Bowl. She's my adoptive daughter and my most loyal student, so I really can't say no to her."

"You wouldn't say no to me either."

"Nekou, not now, please… so yeah, we're kind of just taking part in everything that's happening in the city right now."

"I must say, then," Everton ventured, "that it is quite a surprise to see Bunny Spruce with you instead of out in the field working."

"You know of me?" Bunny asked, surprised that a high-powered executive of a multinational conglomerate would know her.

"Of course. The young woman who stood up against Jacob Alexison and protected the history of the world… it's likely I'd have heard of you, after all."

Bunny was flattered by Everton's compliment, but before she could thank him, an explosion could be heard from not far away.

"What was that?" Matt exclaimed, turning back in the blast's direction.

He did not have to wait long for an answer. Darkrai suddenly surged into the wide street that Matt's group had been enjoying festivities on, preceded slightly by the screaming of people trying to escape from it. The Dark-type monster scanned the avenue for targets, only to spot Matt and Everton.

Seeing Matt caused Darkrai to pause for what appeared to be no reason. However, when Everton started to reach into his coat for the button to control its collar outside of everyone else's sight, Darkrai submitted and started to charge up a Dark Pulse.

"It's going to attack!" screamed Nekou. "Don't fucking wait, do something!"

"You can help!" Matt countered. "But for now, let's see how Tanya fares…"

"Stop! You can't fight it, it's too strong!" Everton's interruption caused Matt to put away the Dusk Ball in his hand.

"Then what…?"

Before a conclusion could be reached, Darkrai prepared to launch its Dark Pulse. However, right before it could, a blue energy orb shot out of nowhere and blindsided it.

An Aura Sphere attack.

The explosion from the Aura Sphere striking Darkrai created smoke that was dispelled relatively quickly, if not at least in part because of Darkrai shaking itself around.

"Creeeeeelehhh!"

Prompted by the shrill cry that echoed through the air, the people in the street, Matt, Nekou, Olivia, Bunny and Katorena included, all looked upward. Before the eyes of the people of Whitegold City, the battle from a generation ago came alive again.

Cresselia and Darkrai, the two fated by legend to be bitter rivals who would fight to the death, met again.

All the citizens could do was stare upward in collective shock. A whole generation of Whitegold City's people were raised with the story of Darkrai and Cresselia as just that, a fairy tale, while tourists had long come to the city under the same assumption. Yet there they were, the living embodiments of peaceful sleep and nightmares, shooting each other death glares in the air over the buildings just like the legends all said.

Dispensing with the attempt to intimidate her opponent, Cresselia gathered up her strength to form another Aura Sphere. Darkrai responded by shooting bolts of electricity from its hands to shoot the energy orb down.

Darkrai's Thunder did more than cut down Cresselia's Aura Sphere, however. The arcs of lightning crashed down all over the street, sending the partiers running for cover while screaming in fear. One part of it even struck near Matt's group and Everton enough to knock them down.

"Matt, what's going on?" Olivia whimpered, crunching up close to Nekou for protection. "Why are they fighting?"

"The legend…" he gasped, as it was the only answer he could manage. "It was true after all…"

"Yes, this is President," Everton was saying with his right hand on his ear to activate his communicator. "Activate security measure D-10. I repeat, put security measure D-10 into immediate effect."

Almost instantly, every television screen in Whitegold City was forcibly overridden to display Midori Makise's news broadcast, in a testament to how efficient Everton's emergency management mechanisms were. A red ticker with the words "Emergency Alert" in yellow font stretched across the bottom of the screen.

_"Attention, Whitegold City. An emergency has developed in the city, and for your safety, security measure D-10 has been activated. As per this security measure, all citizens and tourists currently within Whitegold City are hereby ordered to evacuate to the Whitegold Dome sports complex. Please remember to have your identification pass at all times. We at Everton International pledge to ensure your safety through this crisis. Thank you."_

A strange, awkward sense of silence washed over the entire street. It was impossible to perceive just what the people felt, but once the collective realization of the situation reached them, the crowds started pouring down the streets in a measured but palpable panic.

"What should we do?" Bunny asked her companions, her voice wavering. "I'm scared…"

"Obviously, follow what will lead you to safety!" Nekou thundered. "There's no need to get in harm's way!"

"We can fight back, you foolish harlot!" Katorena interjected in defiance. "They are only Pokémon!"

"Stop it, both of you!" Matt's decisive command was actually able to shut both Nekou and Katorena up for once. "We're getting out of here. I'm not interested in finding trouble right now. We'll re-evaluate our options later!"

Everton, meanwhile, stood by as Matt and his group faded into the crowd of people evacuating to the Whitegold Dome. He watched them carefully for as long as he could see Matt's white suit, then stared up into the sky at Darkrai and Cresselia fighting with his monocle glowing.

Satisfied with how things were progressing, Everton struck a wicked smirk.

**END of CHAPTER 1**


	3. Darkrai VS Cresselia

**CHAPTER**** 2**: Cresselia VS. Darkrai

-:-

Many of the staffers who worked in Giovanni's mansion were Team Rocket members, and not all of them were formerly of the gang, either. It had not been hard for him to slip them into supposedly legitimate employment under the radar of the police, and as long as they wore the butler outfits he issued instead of the standard Team Rocket uniform, they wouldn't be found out.

Being that they were from Team Rocket's ranks, the mansion's staff were all well versed in the dirt and rumors floating around the darker corners of their society. Stacia was the subject of some of the most terrifying ones, so when she was doing even the mundane activity of quietly making coffee for Giovanni in the lounge, they stayed away from her.

Not that Stacia minded. She despised dealing with the common idiots who joined Team Rocket just as much as her boss did, so their avoidance was a luxury to her. She needed to focus all of her energy on making the coffee, as she didn't have the best hand-eye coordination with things other than penmanship and often tended to slip up.

Just as she finished preparing the coffee according to her meticulous memory of Giovanni's preferences, though, something on the television in the lounge caught her attention.

_"__We__'__re__ back__ with__ coverage __of __this __startling__ breaking__ news__ story__ out__ of__ Whitegold__ City,__"_ the male newscaster stated. The TV was tuned to a network other than the Everton News Channel. _"__As __you__ can__ see__ in__ this __footage __given __to __us__ by__ the __Everton __News__ Channel,__ a__ division __of__ Everton__ International,__ after__ fifty__ years__ of__ peace,__ Darkrai__ has__ appeared__ in__ Whitegold __City __and__ is __currently__ engaged__ in__ a __battle __to__ the __death__ with__ its__ mortal__ enemy,__ the__ city__'__s__ guardian,__ Cresselia.__ A__ large-scale__ evacuation __has__ been__ ordered, __mandating__ that__ all __people __within__ the__ city__'__s __limits__ move__ into__ the__ Whitegold__ Dome,__ the __massive__ sports__ complex__ where__ the __Pokémon__ Bowl __is __held. __It__ is__ currently __unknown __why __Darkrai__ has__ suddenly __reappeared.__"_

"Mister Giovanni will need to know this…" Stacia mumbled to herself.

-:-

Just as the footage had shown, Darkrai and Cresselia were locked in vicious battle in Whitegold City. It was lucky that the evacuation happened so efficiently and quickly, because if people were still in the way of the warring titans, they would have gotten badly hurt. Darkrai's Dark Pulse and Ice Beam attacks, along with Cresselia's Signal Beam and Energy Ball, were going errant, striking significant damage into both the streets and buildings in the surrounding area. Darkrai also had tried several times to put Cresselia to sleep with Dark Void, but the orbs of dark energy simply had no effect on her.

Meanwhile, in one of the apartments of a nearby house, a cookie jar fell over atop a refrigerator. An unseen force opened the lid and picked up one of the round chocolate chip cookies, then materialized to reveal itself as Victini. Victini cheerfully grasped the cookie and took tiny bites into it, at least until there was an explosion near the window. Rattled, Victini floated with its cookie to peer out.

Visible from the window were the two warring Pokémon and their relentless attempts to strike each other down. While the pair jockeyed for position against each other, Darkrai managed to get off several Dark Pulses, one of which grazed Cresselia's body to leave a singed spot on her purple down. Cresselia responded by sending a shower of Energy Balls in Darkrai's direction, several making explosive contact to drive Darkrai back.

"Tini…" Victini said sadly, chewing on the cookie as it sat in the window and watched its guardian fight.

-:-

One hour later, the evacuation of Whitegold City to the Whitegold Dome was nearly complete. In order to speed the collecting of people inside the stadium, they were not being processed upon arrival; instead, all the evacuees' identification passes would be checked once no more people were arriving.

The Whitegold Dome was a massive sports complex that encompassed an entire city block. With a seating capacity of one hundred thousand, it was more than able to hold the roughly fifty thousand and counting that were flowing inside for safety. While some evacuees set up in the stands, many of them stayed out on the vast field of artificial green grass in the stadium's center, including Matt, Nekou, Olivia, Bunny and Katorena.

"All the Pokémon I'm seeing, it's so cool!" Olivia's excitement was at something that really mattered little at the time, but both Matt and Nekou perceived that she was doing it as a means of coping with the terrifying experience that was occurring. "Captain Everton's Cryogonal was like that mean lady Maria's Cryogonal, except it was a different color. Her Cryogonal had blue eyes and ice chains, if you remember. And then Darkrai… this Darkrai is even more awesome than the one Maria had!"

Olivia was speaking of Queen Shadow Maria, the former leader of the now-long-dead terrorist organization Enigma Shadow, which her father fought three times over roughly ten years. In the very last battle between the two of them five years earlier, Maria used both a Cryogonal and then a Darkrai against Rich, but not to much success.

Matt was there when the battle took place, and recalled those events in silence. He couldn't devote much brainpower to remembering things at the moment, though, as he was preoccupied with solving just what was going on in Whitegold City. The sounds of all the countless people around the group, added to the news broadcast playing on the giant video screen overlooking the field, didn't help at all in his attempts to think clearly.

"You say you have met Darkrai before?" Katorena, on the other hand, was surprised to hear Olivia's claims. "I have met many a Legendary Pokémon myself, but never a Darkrai. When I was growing up several friends of my parents owned such creatures, such as Zapdos and Heatran."

"Did you know that Matt has a Heatran?" Nekou chimed in. "He actually did a rather impressive job capturing it five years ago. Even now I have to give him some credit. He's reliable when the chips are down, if you can believe that."

"That doesn't make him any less of a scruffy vagrant in my eyes. Heatran is so rough and uncultured."

"Could you guys just knock it off for now?" Evidently it was Katorena's remark that pushed Matt over the edge, even if his irritation had been building since their arrival at the stadium. "This just doesn't feel right. Something has to be going on here. There's no reason why Darkrai would just suddenly appear and begin attacking the city, then get locked in combat with Cresselia."

"Try checking out that book you got from the woman at the inn," Bunny suggested.

"Excellent idea. It might have something about this legend."

Matt removed the book from his bag and flipped it open to the page he'd read earlier about Victini. From there, he turned to the next page, which indeed depicted Darkrai and Cresselia.

"Darkrai and Cresselia…" he read aloud. "They are as opposite as opposite can be. As Darkrai is the creator of nightmares, Cresselia is the Pokémon that dispels them. As such they are naturally fated to clash wherever and whenever they meet. Such an event has taken place in Whitegold City, where a Darkrai lived until Cresselia came. As fated, they fought, and Cresselia won. After that, Victini was taken into Cresselia's protection, and the city's fortunes changed greatly. It was never the same place again. For that reason I started the annual festival to celebrate both Victini and Cresselia."

"Who founded the festival?" Nekou asked, dropping into the conversation.

"This is a log written by Becket Everton, Liam Everton's grandfather," Matt answered, remembering that Nekou wasn't present when he'd received the book. "I got it from the innkeeper last night. It has information on a number of Legendary Pokémon in it."

_"__As__ a __reminder __if__ you__'__re__ just __tuning __in,__"_ Midori droned on over the broadcast, _"__This__ is __special __coverage __of __the __unfolding __disaster __in __Whitegold __City __provided __to __you __by __Everton __News __Channel. __Over __the __past __hour, __the __Legendary __Pokémon __Darkrai __and __Cresselia __have __been __engaged __in __a__ destructive __battle __inside __Whitegold __City, __just __as __described __in __the __folktales __of __an __identical __battle __fifty __years __ago. __It __is __still __unknown __why __this __is __happening, __but__ we __are __currently __awaiting__ a__ statement __from__ Captain__ Liam__ Everton,__ who __also __serves __as __city __executive, __on __the __crisis__… __correction, __I __am__ now __being__ told__ that__ we__ will__ be__ going__ live __to__ Captain __Everton__'__s__ address__ to __the__ city.__"_

As everyone that had been evacuated into the stadium looked upward to the screen, Everton appeared. He was sitting at his desk in his office and looked outwardly angry.

_"Citizens of Whitegold City,"_ he thundered, his voice deep and powerful, _"and tourists visiting our city as well, I come before you today to bring you up to speed on the disaster currently befalling our beloved city. Slightly over one hour ago, the Pokémon Darkrai appeared. This set in motion a chain of events that has ended in the clash of Darkrai and Cresselia, Whitegold City's guardian. This story is just the same as the one in the folk tales of fifty years ago. Everton International… and myself personally, we are dedicated to the safety of everyone within our borders. For that reason security measure D-10 has been activated, resulting in the mass evacuation of all in White gold City to the Whitegold Dome. This evacuation plan, which, as you know, we have rehearsed annually for years, is designed for the safety of the people. TheWhitegold Dome will serve as a safe haven for all as this crisis plays out. Essentially, it will be the ark that carries the populace into a new tomorrow! Remember, Everton International is dedicated to ensuring your safety as we manage this crisis. Please, remain calm and optimistic. Things will be over very soon. Thank you."_

Once Everton's speech was over, Midori returned to the screen. _"__We__'__re __back __now, __following __the __statement __from __Captain __Liam__ Everton __on __the __unfolding __Darkrai __disaster. __This __is __Everton __News __Channel__'__s __continuing __coverage __of __the __incident, __and __we __will __continue __to__ bring__ you __live __updates__ and __footage __of __the __historic __battle __between__ Darkrai __and __Cresselia __as __this __day__ goes __on.__"_

"Something's wrong," Matt sighed. "Just listening to that… it's never that easy. Something else is going on here and whatever it is, it's very wrong. We have to get out of here."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Nekou growled in frustration. "There are Everton's guards posted at all the entrances. There's no way out."

"Think outside the box," suggested Olivia. "That's what Matt taught me to do to solve problems. There must be another way out than just out the exit."

Bunny abruptly grabbed Matt's shoulder to spin him around, and pointed out someone at the edge of the field where the spectator area began. "Over there, there's Rowena!"

"You're right." Breaking into a jog, with the others following him, Matt called out, "Hey! Rowena! Over here!"

"Sssh, be quiet!" she hissed once they reached her. "Everton's men can't know who I am. I'm undercover and a threat to his plans."

"Well, remember how you said you'd need our help?" When Rowena nodded, Matt continued, "It's time for us to help each other on that. We're looking for a way out of here because we don't trust what Everton is saying about this evacuation."

"Good thinking. I don't trust him either, obviously, and I actually have a way out." Olivia, Nekou and Bunny all crowded around Rowena as she took out her high-tech phone and clicked through files on it. "Here, look at this," she said, settling on a map file. "This is a blueprint of the Whitegold Dome that is publically available. See this maintenance hall here? That leads right outside, and it's unused so they won't think to guard it."

"Can we reach it?" Bunny inquired.

"Of course. Let's join up. It'll be easier to make everything work out that way."

-:-

Carefully balancing the saucer and coffee cup in her right hand, Stacia used her left hand to knock on the door of Giovanni's office. She had spilled it several times, necessitating her remaking it again and again, which was why it had taken her so long to finish.

"Come in!" her boss shouted from inside.

Stacia slowly and nervously disengaged the lock and then nudged the door open with her hip. Giovanni's office was as finely furnished as his lounge – a red velvet carpet coated the floor, while well-kept plants dotted the perimeter of the room against the wood-tone walls. Bookshelves and pieces of art alternately covered the walls, while the only window in the room was a floor-to-ceiling glass door that led to a balcony.

As for Giovanni himself, he was seated at his desk, wearing a black business suit accentuated with red pinstripes, along with a red necktie. He was staring at his computer and scowling as Stacia set down the coffee; she also mentally noted Persian curled up sleeping on the floor next to his owner.

"Mister Giovanni…"

"The coffee had better be good today, Stacia, I need it." Stacia shrunk back while Giovanni took up the coffee cup and sipped the hot liquid. Much to her surprise, he then smiled slightly. "Just the way I like it. Good job, Stacia."

"Thank you, Mister Giovanni," the secretary demurred, blushing slightly. Though she didn't have an air of confidence at all, when she did something that earned Giovanni's praise, Stacia felt proud of herself. She loved being praised for managing to do things correctly. "May I ask why you are angry, sir?"

"My stocks are going down because of what's happening in Whitegold City," he revealed, his voice returning to anger. "The global market is watching them nervously because of Everton International being headquartered there. If something happens to that company, it could send the entire global economy into shock. It's already starting… everything's going down except precious commodities. The stuff nobody buys except to hold some safe money in reliable investments."

"I was just… meaning to ask you if you had seen the news coverage." That question had already been more than answered for Stacia, once she heard Giovanni's complaints and saw a window on his computer screen showing a live stream of the Everton News Channel. "Is there… anything more I can do for you, sir?"

"Remain here with me. If this is going to spiral out of control into a truly global event, I'm going to need help managing it. Have you informed Dr. Zager of what's happening?"

"I… I have, sir." The excitement was rising in Stacia's body, even if she didn't show it. Being able to personally assist Giovanni was the most thrilling thing of all for her.

-:-

The sound of an old, rusted doorknob being turned echoed through the dank alley behind the Whitegold Dome. Rowena was the first to come out of the secret passage into the stadium, followed by Matt, then Nekou, Olivia, Bunny and Katorena. Silence hung over the narrow lane, broken only by the distant noises from Darkrai and Cresselia's fight.

"Alright, what now?" Matt sighed, leaning on a rusty dumpster that had long since been disused. "We got out. What can we actually do now?"

"We can't leave the city," Olivia thought aloud. "It wouldn't accomplish anything, and we'd get caught anyway."

"While I was inside the stadium," Rowena said without taking her eyes off her phone, "I looked carefully to see if Woods was there. Obviously there's a chance I missed him in a crowd of tens of thousands of people, but I can call him to find out."

"Do that."

With Matt's agreement, Rowena pressed a button on her phone, then held it up to her ear. The others watched her and waited with tense anticipation for what would come next.

"Oh, hello?" she abruptly answered finally. "Woods, it's Rowena. Are you at the Whitegold Dome right now? No?" Once it was clear Woods wasn't at the stadium, a sense of relief washed over the group. "We need to set up a meeting immediately. Where are you right now? Okay, stay there. We're on our way."

"Well, where is he?" Nekou forcefully demanded to know.

"He says he's at some old fortune teller named Aurelie's place out on the marsh."

"Could that be the woman from the fortune telling booth at the fair?" inquired Katorena as she adjusted her hat. "Check that card she gave you!"

"Alright, calm down…" As it turned out, Nekou had stuck the card down the front of her dress, even though it had pockets. "Yeah, it's her. I didn't notice that her name was printed on here before."

"I guess we know where we're going, then…" Matt then tilted his head and added, "And I guess you only wear a bra when you're dressed up? It's not like you didn't have pockets available either."

"Is now really the time to complain about getting some fanservice?" she countered. "Just get off my ass. Let's get to Aurelie's house and figure out where to go from there."

"Agreed," Rowena interjected, "the only thing to do now is keep moving."

-:-

Darkrai and Cresselia's fight raged on relentlessly, with neither side gaining the upper hand or getting tired. They were slowly moving into the poorer area of the city, in the direction of the marshland. What chiefly set the two districts apart was the difference in building quality; whereas the business district was filled with high-tech, glass-covered buildings, the poorer area was nothing more than tightly clustered houses made of aged, painted wood.

Taking aim at Cresselia, Darkrai launched a Dark Pulse. However, the blast missed and ripped through the street below, scattering cobblestones until it hit a gas-powered street lamp, which exploded in a shower of metal.

In retaliation Cresselia sent an Aura Sphere toward Darkrai. Unable to move quickly enough after its own move, Darkrai was hit square in the chest. It was sent falling to the street while growling in pain.

Quickly recovering, however, Darkrai countered with a blast of Thunder from its hands. The scattered lightning bolts hit Cresselia several times in addition to tearing holes in numerous surrounding houses.

-:-

A short while later, a large black helicopter bearing the golden Everton insignia was flying over Whitegold City. Inside, Foster was piloting the craft while Baker remotely supervised the final stage of the evacuation from his seat in the passenger cabin diagonally from Everton's. The captain, meanwhile, was nonchalantly checking his investments from the previous day on his computer.

"What's that?" Baker said aloud, holding his hand to his earpiece. "The head count of the evacuees is finished? Excellent. That's good, what has you upset then? …What?"

"What happened now, Baker?" asked Everton with an irritated tone.

"It seems the count of how many evacuees went to the stadium came up short, sir. The guards are forwarding you a list of the missing ones right now."

Almost instantaneously, a series of identification pass photographs appeared on Everton's computer.

The first photo was printed twice, as it was the photo of Matt and Nekou together. Olivia, Bunny, Katorena, Rowena, Aurelie and Woods were the rest of the list.

"Damn it!" Everton fumed, slamming his fist down on the armrest of his chair. "I should have known that it would be Chiaki's group to show up and cause problems!"

"It's not surprising, sir. We can't worry about them right now, though. We have bigger fish to fry."

"You're correct, Baker. At least I get some of my investment back on you. Do we have the infrared scanner up yet?"

"The infrared scanner is fully online, sir. Please have a look at the live feed."

By entering a command into his computer, Everton brought up a program that read 'Real-time Thermal Imaging – Whitegold City' on its header. Most of the screen was splotched with green and yellow, but there were a few spots of red, which indicated high heat concentration. The largest of these spots was over the marshland.

"So there you are, Victini," Everton said to himself with a smirk. "Let's see if any of my slaves have found you yet."

By tapping a few keys, Everton changed the computer screen from the thermal reading to the Dreamyarn Inceptor's readout display. Once again, several views of certain areas of the city appeared; some were in the streets, others near or inside dilapidated buildings, and still more in the swamps. The one thing they all had in common was that Victini was not visible anywhere.

"Did we release that Dream Mist for nothing?" snarled the captain in frustration. "The whole point of this system was to give me countless eyes to find Victini with!"

"Remember that we can use it for other things, too," Baker dutifully reminded his boss. "Even if we cannot find Victini by peering through the eyes of so many Pokémon, the enslaved Pokémon will still do our bidding."

"That is correct. In this case, I'll have to get my hands dirty." Rising from his seat, Everton issued a command to Baker, saying, "We're going to the cargo bay."

Without a word, Baker also stood. The two men walked briskly across the cabin to an elevator, which they boarded. Neither one spoke a word in the cramped, rectangular confines of the lift, both of them opting to obsess over the mission they were trying to carry out.

Before they knew it the elevator had stopped at the floor they needed. Floodlights mounted on the walls of the cargo hold cast a bright, harsh red glow throughout the vast iron chamber. Despite all the space available, however, the hold was occupied only by two vehicles. One of them, a gray Segway-like hoverboard, was the one Everton decided to use.

Stepping onto the hoverboard's platform, Everton pressed several of the keys on the wide dashboard spread before him. This activated the vehicle's powerup sequence, illuminating both the eight-inch touchscreen centered on the dashboard as well as the multicolored keyboards on its left and right. A string of plasma lights positioned across the front of the dashboard flicked on, as did the spotlight near the foot platform.

"Activate the synchronization between the mobile unit and the central servers," Everton ordered, without shifting his rigid, straightforward gaze.

Baker was nearly ahead of the order, already hard at work on a computer console against the nearby wall. As he worked, a series of windows came and went from display on the hoverboard's screen during the process of the data upload.

"Synchronization complete, sir."

As if to test the validity of Baker's claim, Everton entered a short command using the right-hand keyboard. This brought up a window containing the thermal imaging of Whitegold City; apparently satisfied, he then released his Klinklang and Cryogonal from their Ultra Balls.

Finally, he pressed a red button on the left side of the dashboard, bringing up a video link to Foster at the helicopter's controls.

"Alright, Foster, listen up."

"Sir?"

"Open up the cargo hatch. I'm going out to search for Victini personally."

"Yes, sir."

Turning to Baker, Everton completed his thought, "And you, Baker. You bring the truck and follow after me in a short while."

Baker briefly eyed the truck sitting on the other side of the cargo hold. "As you command, sir," he answered.

Just then, the sound of heavy metal moving prompted Everton to take hold of the handles that served to control the hoverboard. As the cargo hatch slowly creaked open, the floor where the hoverboard was sitting lowered as well. Once the moving platform reached a stop, with the pneumatics controlling its rise and descent letting off pressure, Everton brought the hoverboard off the ground and sent it gliding smoothly out into the airspace over Whitegold City. He knew where he was going with Klinklang and Cryogonal, and started flying toward the marsh.

-:-

With his group left to trek through Whitegold City to the swamp area by themselves, Matt found himself stuck walking as the leader to cut away brush with the blade inside his right sleeve. Rowena and Olivia were right behind him, the former guiding his path using Aurelie's business card map and the latter just enjoying the adventure through a seemingly exotic forest. After them, Bunny was simply enraptured by the scenery. Bringing up the rear, Nekou and Katorena were riding on the back of Tanya, Matt's Heatran. Marie in turn was riding on Nekou's head like usual while she held Zorua in her arms.

After what seemed like forever in the underbrush, the group emerged into a murky clearing right on the edge of the swamp. A single, run-down house sat on the shoreline, surrounded by greenish-brown reeds and lilypads floating on the black water. A yellow hovercraft was also sitting next to the house.

"Is this it?" Bunny wondered.

After double-checking the business card several times, Rowena nodded. "It should be."

"Alright, you know what that means, you two," Matt said, turning to Tanya, Nekou and Katorena with the Dusk Ball in his hand. "Free ride's over."

"What rot," complained the stuffy girl. Despite this, Katorena did get off of Tanya.

Nekou did as well, but she couldn't resist getting in one jab. "The more footwork you make me do, the less energy I have to do other things, you know."

"I don't want to hear it from either of you right now, seriously. We have more important things to do. Tanya, thank you. Return." A red beam lashed out of the button on the Dusk Ball, pulling Tanya back into its boundaries. It wasn't until then that Matt noticed the huge footprints she'd left behind in the soft earth. "Let's go…"

Matt didn't even get the chance to turn and head for Aurelie's home, however, as Olivia precluded him. She rushed off toward the house while shouting, "It's time for more fortune telling! Open up!"

"Now, now, Olivia…" Matt tried to caution, "being so rude won't get you anywhere."

"Says who?" Nekou interrupted, forcing a look of complete seriousness onto her face even though she was joking. "You can be a badass bitch if you want, as long as it's what you choose."

"I like the sound of that. 'Badass Bitch Olivia.' I might take that on as my name, if it gets my dad to notice me…"

"ENOUGH!" It wasn't Nekou provoking Olivia into bad behavior that so angered Matt, though it didn't help. The problem came from Olivia using said bad behavior as an admittedly appropriate justification for bringing back her very serious problems with her father again, which was something Matt just couldn't deal with.

He then realized he was being watched. The door of Aurelie's home was open, and Woods was standing there staring at the group of them arguing.

"You guys done?" he asked, only half-joking.

"For now," Matt replied in kind.

"Well if that's the case, then Aurelie has asked me to invite you all inside for some tea."

"Tea?" In an instant, Nekou was back at the head of the group, practically in Woods's face, beaming with excitement. "You said there's tea? Tell me, tell me now, where is it?"

"I do say," Katorena chimed in, "I might want a spot of tea myself."

"There's plenty to go around. Please, come inside."

-:-

A chain of Aura Spheres was trailing right behind Darkrai, and it frantically flew through the air in hopes of not only escaping Cresselia's assault but gaining a vantage point over her as well. Eventually, Darkrai started using trees as shields, baiting each Aura Sphere into hitting one.

Though Darkrai tried to hide in the aftermath left by the blasted trees, Cresselia saw easily through the dust cloud and sent one of her Energy Balls down. A pained growl from inside the cloud indicated that it was successful, a fact proven when Darkrai emerged with a few scattered burns on its body.

"Ra!" Darkrai screamed, tearing the energy for a Dark Pulse from its claws.

Cresselia countered by firing a shining, multicolored Signal Beam, and the two attacks met halfway in a powerful explosion. Darkrai hesitated to attack blindly and this came with a price – its opponent did not likewise wait, and as a result, a second Signal Beam came through and throttled Darkrai straight into a house. In fact, the impact was so forceful that part of the house started to collapse from it.

However, the complacency that allowed Cresselia to get in such a major hit soon reversed on her, as when she relaxed from attacking for just a brief moment, Darkrai lunged out of the wreckage, grabbed her, and launched Dark Pulse at point-blank range, creating an energy blast around them both.

-:-

Matt, Nekou, Olivia, Bunny, Katorena and Rowena were all sitting at a table inside Aurelie's house, sipping tea from delicate white china. The rooms were all quite dark, both from the darkly painted walls and the fact that the main sources of light were candles. Nekou quite clearly didn't mind the darkness, though, as she was busy trying to memorize as much as she could about the dwelling while looking around in awe. The walls were covered in various trinkets of stained glass and items crafted from yarn, such as a Sigilyph-themed dream catcher.

"Are you enjoying the tea?" Aurelie asked the group, while slowly walking into the room and sitting on the opposite side of the table alongside Gothitelle. "It's a recipe that's been passed down through generations of Whitegold City residents."

"Well, I…"

"This is some of the best tea I've ever had!" Nekou blurted out, interrupting Matt completely. "You're going to have to give me the recipe sometime, because I must have this in my life! Seriously!"

"You sure are enthusiastic," Matt uttered with a hint of sarcasm. "The tea must be good."

"It is, though," Rowena opined, adding, "I could write an interest piece on this alone if I was that kind of journalist still."

"I believe you all said you had some business, didn't you?" Woods spoke up. He was not with the others, instead opting to lean standing against the wall. He seemed to be distracted by fiddling with his cell phone. "I was just getting my fortune read here, but you wanted me to wait up, so what's going on?"

Adjusting her glasses, Rowena said, "We're very suspicious of what Everton is up to. Is there anything you can tell us about what's happening? About the evacuation plan, its rehearsals, anything?"

"We've been doing the rehearsals for at least twenty years now. Everton told us that it was in case of an emergency just like this. They went off roughly the first few years, but before long, the city got it down like a well-oiled machine."

"Miss Nekou…" Aurelie delicately entered, "…I am ready to finish your reading now."

"Are you sure you can handle my spiritual energy this time?"

"I'll have to, otherwise I'd need another medium to connect your energy and Gothitelle."

"Ooh, I have an idea!" Olivia exclaimed. "Use Dalian!"

"That is a great idea. Good job, you brilliant little thing. I love you for that." After giving Olivia a well-received pat on the head, Nekou took out one of her Poké Balls and opened it. "Dalian, come out here, would you?"

Dalian was a Pokémon with similarities to Gothitelle. She was feminine in appearance too, but her body was smaller, with a more defined shape. Like Gothitelle, she was mainly black in color with white ribbons on her body. The main difference was that while Gothitelle had the flat discs attached to her head, Dalian had pigtails instead.

"Ah! A Gothorita, Gothitelle's previous evolution stage! We can do the reading just fine this way. Dalian, please come right over here…"

Aurelie gestured to a spot next to Gothitelle, so Dalian jumped off the table and walked there. Once she was in position, the fortuneteller continued her instructions.

"Now, join hands and focus your minds as one. Gothitelle, when you reach complete synchronization, read Nekou's future!"

"Gothitelle…" the elder Psychic-type replied to her trainer. Along with the younger Pokémon working with her, she focused her mind, and soon found herself feeling profoundly as one with Dalian's mental abilities.

Before long, the two united, and they both cried out in unison as a window to another galaxy was created, just like it had been for Katorena. Aurelie wasted no time in looking it over, analyzing it for signs of Nekou's future.

"I see... hmm… this is quite something…" When Aurelie turned back to Nekou and the others, her face was cloaked in shadow, rendering her appearance rather frightening. "Nekou, you stand at a crossroads. From where you are now, your path can go in one of two directions, which will lead you to one of two very different fates. Down one road, you will find yourself walking alongside friends and allies. You will be challenged to a painful degree, but if you can keep your feet on this road, at the end you will ultimately find salvation and happiness. The other road, however, will lead through nothing but sorrow, ultimately bringing you to complete and utter despair. The choice of which road you'll take will be in your hands."

For once, Nekou was silent. All she could do was stare into the purple cloth thrown over the table as she tried to comprehend everything Aurelie had told her. She was used to her carefree, casual lifestyle, and if something was going to happen to disrupt that, Nekou was unsure of how or even if she'd be able to cope with it.

Her troubled line of thinking was interrupted when she felt a nudging against her arm. Next to her, Marie and Zorua were looking up at her with great worry, concerned for the well-being of their mother figure.

"Aww, it's okay," Nekou soothingly said, patting both of their heads and smiling. "Everything will be just fine, I'm sure."

"I think we're done here, then," Matt declared, rising from his seat. He then turned halfway and addressed Woods, saying, "Mister Woods, I have a question to ask you myself. Would you take us to where you alluded to Victini possibly being?"

"I suppose," Woods replied, pushing himself forward off the wall, "but why? There's no guarantee it will be there."

"I'll level with you. I have been paying attention to all the information I've been hearing about Victini, and I've come to a decision. We will go to where Victini is and I will make the contract to acquire the Victory Star for myself."

A loud collective gasp erupted from the people gathered around Matt when he made this announcement. Not one of them – not even Katorena or Rowena, whom he'd just met – could believe he'd take such an action.

"But… why?" Devastatingly enough, it was Olivia who put words to the shock they all felt. Her voice was shaky, reflecting the repeated feeling of betrayal she had. With Rich gone, she couldn't bear to have another role model, even one she abused regularly, fail morally like this. "You can't mean it…"

Though he was shaken by Olivia's pleading, Matt elaborated on his decision. "The only way I can ever have peace is if I learn the truth behind what happened at La Ciudad Dorada," he explained. "I've learned of Reshiram, the legendary Pokémon whose flames burn to reveal truths. If I can find Reshiram, I can learn the truth that I desire, and the Victory Star can guide me there. I don't care what price I have to pay to make that contract. If I have the Victory Star, I can find Reshiram, and then my existence will have completed its meaning."

A sharp impact suddenly struck the side of Matt's face, sending him crashing to the floor. It was Nekou, who, having risen while Matt was giving the explanation of his plans, had smacked him.

She now towered over him, and the candlelight glowing in her glasses concealed the tears forming at the corners of her eyes from him. "How can you even think about throwing your life away like that? You don't know what the price of Victini's contract is! You want to take a gamble on potentially throwing away everything on a risk that might not even pay off? It's not worth it! It's not fucking worth it! Just... just look around you! Look at Olivia! What do you think she would do if something happened to you?"

Matt couldn't respond. He had gotten back on his feet, but Nekou's outburst completely stunned him. He still couldn't see the tears in her eyes, but when he looked to Olivia and saw her openly crying, something in his mind snapped back into place. Just seeing Olivia made him realize how irrational he was being, and that it didn't matter what he wanted to learn or accomplish because his first duty was to maintain her well-being instead.

"Nekou… you're right," he finally said, albeit very quietly. His mood brightened, however, when he turned to Olivia. "So, Olivia, do you want to see Victini?"

"Do you promise not to do anything stupid?" she begged tearfully.

Matt ignored how painful this question was to him and simply answered it, "Of course."

-:-

As Woods led Matt, Nekou, Olivia, Bunny, Katorena and Rowena to his black hovercraft, which was landed next to Aurelie's house on the swamp water, Victini watched silently from the bushes nearby.

-:-

"This is terrible, Butler… how could the festival gone this wrong?"

Diane and Butler were still in the Whitegold Dome with the other evacuees, and like the others, they were growing nervous and agitated. The ceaseless live broadcast of Cresselia and Darkrai's vicious battle wasn't helping matters any.

"I don't know, Diane, but everything's going to be okay. Everything will turn out just fine. Once we meet up with Matt and Katorena, they should be able to help us." Just then, Butler was alerted by his hand being nudged. It was his Mightyena, who was trying to get his attention. "What is it, Mightyena? Have you found Matt and Katorena yet?"

Mightyena barked, then turned and started to walk off, beckoning Butler and Diane to follow him. They did so, and were led toward the hall where the abandoned maintenance passage was.

-:-

Woods drove the hovercraft down the murky waters of the swamp for about fifteen minutes, during which few words were exchanged between the passengers. Their goal turned out to be an old church made of gray stones that rested right on the boundary between the marshland and the poorer urban area of Whitegold City.

"Wow, it's so beautiful…" Bunny said in awe as she disembarked the hovercraft with the others. While walking up the hill to the church, she continued, "I can feel the history coming off of this place…"

"It's one of the oldest landmarks in Whitegold City," Rowena added. "This church has been here for over one hundred and twenty years, at least."

Woods set his hands on the handles affixed to the heavy wooden doors of the church and started to push them open. While he did this, he continued the story, "One hundred and thirty-five years, in fact."

The interior of the church was somewhat dim, with light filtering in through the stained glass windows on the left and right walls, four on each side. Each opposite pair depicted the same image as its counterpart – the first two displayed a sword-shaped castle floating in the sky; the second pair an old man with long, flowing white hair and a beard; the third and fourth pairs, meanwhile, depicted two different poses of Victini itself.

The group stared at the splendor of the stained glass windows and stone walls as Woods led them down the aisle between rows of seats. Matt and Bunny were especially intrigued, with Matt even taking out his tablet computer to record footage of the church's magnificence.

"One thousand years ago," Woods continued to explain, "The place in Unova known as the Kingdom of the Vale was destroyed, and its inhabitants, the People of the Vale, scattered to the winds. Some of the People of the Vale eventually made their way here, to Kanto. They founded a settlement and lived in peaceful isolation for centuries. Eventually, however, they had to connect to the outside world. It was Liam Everton's ancestors who first promoted interaction and trade with the settlement, and the small village soon grew into what we know today as Whitegold City. One hundred and thirty-five years ago, the People of the Vale who lived in the city at the time constructed this church as a monument both to the city's prosperity and two the memories of their lost homeland. Many of the residents of the city today are descended from the People of the Vale, including me."

"What a story…"

"Indeed, it is quite fascinating…" Katorena shared Olivia's enthralled reaction, as the two of them were both staring at Woods to pay close attention.

Having made it to the back of the church, Woods opened the gnarled door that sat there. It loudly creaked as he opened it, the hinges not having been maintained regularly for years. A dark staircase lay beyond the doorway, one that was lit only by a string of tiny bulbs that activated when Woods flipped a switch on the wall.

"Come on. If Victini is here, we'll have to go down. Follow me."

The stairs were made of old, decrepit wood, so when Woods set foot on them, they let out a sickening groan. Each step he took down the dimly-lit path produced a louder and louder sound. This was true for the others when they started down the staircase as well, even Katorena, despite her light, petite frame.

Wherever Woods was leading the group, it was quite far underground, judging by the length the staircase went on for. The passage was also quite cramped and dusty, which made Matt and Bunny nervous; Nekou, on the other hand, seemed to not mind it. At any rate, when Woods finally reached the bottom, the sound of his shoes hitting the stone floor echoed back up.

"Come down here, all of you," he instructed, moving to the left and looking for something on the wall.

"What are you doing over there?" Matt asked, confused about walking into the dark chamber at the bottom of the stairs.

"Looking for the light switch." As if on cue, Woods just happened to find the button at that exact moment.

"Hey, Matt, since when did we have to go down into smelly basements?" Olivia complained. "It's dark and it stinks down here!"

Amidst Olivia's laments, Woods flipped the switch, turning on the rickety light system in the basement, which was actually just some bulbs hanging from the ceiling by cords. As for the room itself, while it was rather spacious, there was little inside. Shelves lined with torn containers of various dry foods surrounded the walls, and on the far end of the room, there was a small pool filled with still water.

"Victini's here?" Rowena wondered aloud, unable to comprehend that a rare and powerful Pokémon could be in such a run-down place. "Judging by the food, someone's been here, but Victini?"

"I put the food here," Woods informed the others. Taking a step forward, he continued, "I'm not sure if Victini is here right now, but this is where it lives. Victini!" he called out. "Hey, Victini! Victini, if you are here, please come out! Victini!"

There was no response to Woods's invitation after several seconds, prompting Olivia to sigh in frustration.

"How disappointing," she groaned, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess Victini wasn't here after all."

"You sure are boring, old man," Nekou added as an insult to Woods. "First I kick your ass at cards and then you lead us on this wild goose chase? Even Matt is more interesting than you."

Nekou reached into her pocket and took out a RageCandyBar, a confection covered in a green wrapper, not even noticing the glare Matt gave her for her remark. While she started to unwrap it, Katorena coughed.

"Victini is part Fire-type and part Psychic-type, so I was very interested in meeting it," she commented.

"I'm sorry, Katorena," Bunny said in an attempt to comfort her new friend. "Seeing Victini would have been quite interesting, indeed, but it looks like we won't be doing that."

"Haven't you had enough of strange experiences with rare Pokémon?" Nekou deadpanned while chewing on her candy bar. "It was just Moltres and Zoroark the other day," she said, alluding to the events of two days prior in Argyros Town. "Maybe this is for the better, if you could possibly consider that."

With that, Nekou swallowed the bite of chocolate and moved to take another. Much to her surprise, however, she found herself unable to move her arm very far easily, as if something was pulling on it.

"Nekou, what are you doing?" The sight of Nekou's arm jerking subtly back and forth was rather humorous, and as such, Matt got a chuckle out of it. "Candy is for eating, not for playing."

"Shut… shut the fuck up! I don't know what's going on here, okay? I can't move my arm! Something's grabbed it and won't…"

"Tini! Tiniiiii!"

The voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere simultaneously, and it gave the humans in the room pause. It had no visible source, which only made its otherworldly sound even more unsettling. A moment later, the RageCandyBar finally tore itself out of Nekou's hand, at which point it floated – seemingly by itself – several feet across the room.

"What the hell is going on?" Olivia screamed, giving words to the shock everyone except Woods felt.

And then, the explanation for everything became clear. The candy bar stabilized in the air, and as it appeared to be getting eaten, Victini materialized, happily chewing away at the sweet snack. Instantly, the mood in the air whiplashed from one of disappointment to one of surprise, excitement and joy. At long last, the goal the group had sought had finally appeared before them.

"It's Victini!" Matt, Olivia, Bunny and Rowena all exclaimed at once.

"Am I still boring?" Woods grumbled to Nekou, having been vindicated by Victini's appearance.

Nekou, however, didn't care what he had to say at all. "Hey, you! What right do you have to take my candy? It belongs to me!"

"Easy now, Nekou," soothed Matt, who held his hand out in front of her. "Victini's had to sustain itself without too many treats, it looks like, so cut it a break."

The only response Nekou had to this advice was to take in a breath and puff up her cheeks to show her frustrated anger. Meanwhile, Katorena decided to take action and boldly walked right up to Victini.

"Greetings, Legendary Pokémon Victini," she said, curtsying while speaking with her usual stuffy dignity. "My name is Katorena. I am training to be an expert of Psychic-type Pokémon and it is an honor to meet you."

Becoming distracted from the candy bar for a bit, Victini stared at Katorena with its wide blue eyes. Judging her to be a friend, it jumped onto her head and started playing with her hair while cheerfully saying its name.

"Stop it, you rogue! Get off me!" Katorena was actually clearly fighting back laughter as she tried to get Victini off of her head, making it clear to the others that they didn't have to worry about anything.

Satisfied with what he was seeing, Woods turned to the exit. "I have some things to do, so I'll leave you to your devices now. Have fun with Victini, alright?"

"Don't you worry about that, old man!" exclaimed Olivia, having picked up Nekou's way of referring to him.

-:-

"Klinklang, Gear Grind!"

"Klang! Klinklang!"

Everton's Klinklang hovered over to a thick section of underbrush growing on the banks of the swamp. It started rotating its gears at an extremely fast speed and then pushed into the weeds, mowing them down between the rapidly-turning components of its body. Multiple Tympole, Palpitoad, Poliwag, Krabby, Marill and Wooper fled as their home in the grass was destroyed.

"Damn it!" Everton thundered, slamming his fist down on the dashboard of his hoverboard. He was positioned next to his Cryogonal, both of them floating over the swamp's water. "Why can't I find it? Where is Victini?" He looked down at the thermal imaging radar, which was showing similar readings to the ones from earlier. "The Dreamyarn Inceptor didn't help with this at all, and even though this thermal imaging program is indicating I'm near Victini, I just can't find it!"

A beeping sound emanating from the computer screen on the dashboard snapped Everton out of his enraged state, even if temporarily. It was being caused by a small icon of an envelope on the screen.

"A text message?" After tapping the icon with his finger, Everton read the message to himself. As its meaning sunk in, he slowly began to smile broadly. "I see," he said pensively, leaning forward with his elbow on the dashboard for a moment.

He then hit several of the computer keys to his left, causing communication channels to Baker and Foster to open.

"Baker! Foster!"

"Sir!" the two guards rigidly answered.

"Where are you two?"

"Foster is about to drop me off in the truck," Baker replied. "We just landed."

"Both of you come to my location in the truck," Everton instructed his henchmen. "Bring all the capture equipment. Soon, complete victory will be mine."

-:-

In the basement of the church, Olivia was playing with Victini alongside her Minccino, Rowena's Cinccino, Marie and Nekou's Zorua. Katorena, meanwhile, was sitting on a bench nearby and simply watching, trying to maintain her air of dignity.

"The appearance of Darkrai and subsequent showdown between Darkrai and Cresselia… and then, the evacuation plan that was carefully rehearsed for years before it was actually needed, at which point it just happened to fit what was happening perfectly… doesn't it strike you as far too coincidental?"

Rowena, Matt, Nekou and Bunny were sitting on another bench and working together to plan their next move. The reporter had a small notebook computer out and was using it to review her notes on the situation.

"I agree," Bunny responded, nodding. "Things just don't happen like that for no reason. It sounds almost like it was planned out."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Rowena confessed. "All of this fits together far too well to simply be chance. I fear that Everton may be the man in the shadows manipulating this entire situation. The battle between Darkrai and Cresselia provides the perfect cover story to pacify the masses while simultaneously keeping tabs on everyone so they won't get in the way."

"But what is he after?" Matt questioned.

"Here, have a look at this."

Rowena loaded a video on her computer, then turned it so the others could see the screen. The clip was of a political television talk show, and the host, a slightly overweight man with thinning blonde hair, was about to interview Liam Everton.

_"We're back. Let's introduce our guest for tonight. He's the president of multi-billion-dollar international corporation Everton International and an important leading figure in the global economy, Captain Liam Everton. Good evening, Captain."_

"_Good evening."_

"_Let's get right down to business. You're always a busy man, Captain, running here to tend to petroleum development, there to maintain your interests in global banking, all the way over there for freight shipping, investments in new technology… well, my point is that you always have a lot of things going on for yourself. Tell us, what's keeping you busy these days?"_

"_I'm glad you asked that. I'm working on finding a brilliant energy source that will change the world. I don't have it yet, but it's right within Whitegold City itself! Just begging to be taken! Once I get it, the conversation about energy in this country will be changed forever, I promise you that."_

"When is this clip from?" asked Nekou.

"This is from the October 29, 2008 broadcast of _Down__ To__ Business_, the business-themed talk show based out of Goldenrod City. Whatever this energy source he's talking about is, it's in Whitegold City and I think it's what he's pursuing right now. If you ask me, I think it's a massive new oil field that's located underneath the city."

"What if I was complicit in all this?" Matt clenched his hands on his lap and stared down intensely at them. The thought quickly overtaking him was that his speech was also part of Everton's plan of diversion, and even if he had no clue of what he was being used for, Matt could not live with the guilt. "We can't even tell just how far Everton is willing to go, and some of it might be my fault…"

"It's not your fault in any way," Bunny said, raising her voice slightly to get her point across. "If our worst suspicions are true, Everton's been planning this day for possibly even twenty years or more. He may have been planning this for longer than some of us have been alive! How could you have had anything to do to actually affect that?"

"You know, for once, you're actually right," commented Nekou, sarcastically but honestly. "The only thing you could be responsible for is not doing anything about Everton now."

"You guys will be along for the ride, though… actually, I'd ask if you were willing to follow me into battle against him, but after what we've already been through, Everton seems like nothing."

-:-

Little did Matt know that Liam Everton was right outside the church at that exact moment, floating on his hoverboard above the church's courtyard. As the captain gazed down at the stone shrine, his mind filled with excited thoughts about his decades-long quest coming to an end.

"So there it is. This was where Victini was hiding out all along, was it? It all really does return to nothing, where it all started. And so here is where it begins… the new era in the history of energy!"

The sound of a truck engine signified the arrival of Baker and Foster in their silver Humvee emblazoned with Everton's golden logo on the doors. Once the vehicle stopped, the two guards – each carrying two large armored briefcases – jumped out. Under their captain's watchful eye, Baker and Foster carefully arranged the briefcases on the ground to form a diamond pattern.

Seeing that they were finished, Everton pushed a button on his control panel, making the briefcases open. A lightning rod-like device rose up from the inside of each case, but otherwise, nothing happened yet.

"Everything's ready now. All that remains is the main ingredient to create the dish." Everton snickered to himself when he saw the live feed of Darkrai and Cresselia's battle that appeared on his dashboard screen, then used one of his keyboards to enter a command code.

-:-

One of Cresselia's Aura Spheres had hit Darkrai, sending the nightmare-creating Pokémon skidding in the mud. Before Darkrai could recover and retaliate with a counterattack, the collar around its neck activated, sending an electric shock through its body.

"Raaaaaaiii!"

The electric shock soon ceased, but the collar wasn't done; it started to force Darkrai to turn in the direction of the church, toward where Everton was. When Darkrai tried to turn back, another brief shock was delivered. Left trapped between being electrocuted and Cresselia bearing down on it with another Aura Sphere ready, Darkrai chose the only available escape and began flying toward the church.

Cresselia wasn't far behind. She had abandoned her latest Aura Sphere in favor of Signal Beam, but every kaleidoscopic laser sailed right past her target as Darkrai swerved in midair to dodge.

The pair of warring Pokémon showed no sign of letting up their conflict as they sailed over the city. Darkrai certainly wasn't trying to retreat and flee from Cresselia, but the collar left it no choice. If Darkrai did anything other than follow where it was being led, the shocks would become even harsher as a result.

It took less than three minutes for Darkrai and Cresselia to enter the field of Everton's notice. He watched intently as Darkrai flew right past his eyes, as well as those of Baker and Foster, but did nothing else.

Once Cresselia entered the courtyard, though, everything changed.

"Now!" Everton roared, slamming his hand down on one of the dashboard buttons.

The lightning rods sticking out of the four briefcases sparked to life, releasing stray electricity as they powered up. In mere moments they honed in on Cresselia and used blasts of lightning to restrain her. As her body started to spasm violently in response to the agonizing energy coursing through it, Cresselia cried out.

-:-

"Vicuti?"

Victini sensed something as it was playing and abruptly stopped, much to the surprise of Minccino, Cinccino, Marie and Zorua. It simply stared unflinchingly at the doorway without moving.

"You lot, what is wrong with Victini?" Katorena had picked up on the change in Victini's behavior as well, and she felt worried by it. "You all see it, right? Why isn't Victini cheerfully gallivanting anymore?"

"I see it," Olivia concurred. "Victini, what's wrong?"

There was no response. Instead, Victini floated into the air and said its name, then darted out of the basement room. Immediately, Matt, Nekou, Bunny, Olivia and Rowena were also on their feet.

"Hurry!" Matt ordered, taking charge of the group. "After Victini, now!"

"Something has gone very wrong…" Rowena added quietly.

While the group gave pursuit to Victini, the six running back up the gnarled stairway and back through the main church, they silently wondered about what was going on. Was it that one of them had done something to upset Victini? Did it simply sense a snack or treat of some kind? Was danger imminent nearby?

It was the third of those possibilities.

Just as Victini emerged from the church, the trap restraining Cresselia released her and locked onto Victini instead. The legendary Fire-and-Psychic-type was dragged, screaming, into the center of the diamond, where it was pinned by the electrical bolts inside an energy field. Escape was impossible, and the pain was nearly too much for Victini's body to endure.

Moments later, Matt and the rest of the group burst out of the old cathedral. Immediately, the sight of Victini being tortured inside the trap made them recoil in horror.

"Victini!" Matt gasped. "What's happened?"

"Cryogonal, use Wrap!"

On its trainer's command, Everton's Cryogonal suddenly descended from the sky and attacked Matt's group with its ice chains. The chain on Cryogonal's left side grabbed up Bunny and Olivia, while the right-hand chain collected Rowena and Nekou. On both sides, the victims got squeezed tightly by Cryogonal in order to restrain them.

"It's that scoundrel Everton!" Katorena shrilled once she saw him on his hoverboard nearby. "Just what do you think you're doing, you vile man?"

Everton lowered his altitude and drew closer to Matt, Katorena and Cryogonal's victims. "I am simply fulfilling the fate I was destined to complete!"

"Excuse me," Nekou moaned from the confines of Cryogonal's ice chain, "could you make this a little tighter? If you think you're calling this being tied up, you really are a failure of a villain."

"You're lucky you're not already dead. Real winner you've got there, Chiaki," Everton shot back. However, when Matt started laughing, Everton became confused. "What is so funny?"

"Oh, just how hard she just owned you. It's funny that you decided to use restraints on someone who it looks like she likes it!"

"Don't forget about us!" Bunny cried out, referring to herself, Olivia and Rowena, all three of whom seemed very uncomfortable.

Suddenly, Matt felt like he was being watched and turned to his left, where he spotted Woods leaning against a nearby tree. Breathing a sigh of relief, he said, "Oh, thank goodness, Woods, you're still here. Help us out, please!"

Woods did not respond, and now it was Everton's turn to laugh.

"You aren't really that good with observing your surroundings after all, are you?" he taunted while retreating on his hoverboard to his original position behind Baker and Foster. "Let me spell it out for you." Everton then raised his right hand next to his face, flashed the 'V' symbol, and called out, "Victory Star!"

"Victory Star!" Baker was the first to mimic the salute.

"Victory Star!" Foster promptly followed.

Finally, in front of six sets of horrified eyes, Woods stepped up next to Baker and Foster and flashed the salute himself. "Victory Star!"

"You've been… working for Everton all along…" Rowena voiced, nearly barely able to speak in her state of wide-eyed shock. Woods was someone she had trusted from the very beginning of her mission to take Everton down, and now that she realized he was still with her target the whole time, she felt like a complete fool.

"Survival of the fittest, Rowena," Woods said smugly and directly. "I really did like you and your earnestness in pursuing Captain Everton, but in the end, it's Everton who will be standing on top when all is said and done. And the winner is the one whose side you want to be on when all the cards have been played. With the power of the Victory Star, Captain Everton will save this city from the economic hardship that has enveloped it!"

"But look what he's doing!" Matt yelled in anger, gesturing to Victini inside the torturous trap and the injured Cresselia nearby. "I can tell you're a good man, Woods, so how can you stand for this? He's destroying the culture of this city!"

"Like I said, it's about survival. That's an unfortunate fact."

"Give it up, Chiaki," Everton mocked, wearing a wicked grin. "Even if your friends weren't neutralized, it's impossible for you to stop me. Baker! Foster! You too, Woods! Go forth and buy time for the Victory Star to appear!"

"Yes, Captain Everton!" all three replied before throwing Poké Balls.

Baker and Foster used their Sawk and Throh, as before. Woods's Pokémon, however, was something new – a green, yellow-eyed cactus with two smaller, pink-flower-topped cacti for ears.

"Your Throh and Sawk are looking as healthy as ever," Woods complimented Foster and Baker, making it sound like he hadn't seen them in a while. "Maractus is doing well too."

"That's good to hear."

"Foster, Woods, shut up!" Baker fumed. "Focus on Captain Everton's orders!"

"I'll take care of these three," Katorena declared, stepping forward in front of Matt, who looked at her with surprise. "You focus on the big fish, ruffian! Go after Liam Everton while I battle these three knaves!"

"Are you sure?"

"Don't question me! Know your place and do as I say!"

"Alright, alright!" Sufficiently cowed by Katorena's outburst, Matt separated from her to face Everton alone. "None of what you're trying to do makes any sense, Everton. That's irrelevant, though… I can't stand by while you do it."

"Really, now? Will a boy like you actually have the power to stand up to me?" Everton taunted in response, his grin widening. "Very well, let's see what you've got."

From the inside of his suit Everton took out a third Ultra Ball, one that as yet had remained unseen. When he opened it, it released a towering draconian Pokémon with six wings jutting out from the black covering on his back. Three blue heads also grew out of his body, but only the middle one was fully functional; the left and right heads were positioned like hands and less than fully developed, with the purple pupils of the middle head's red eyes missing. From the Pokémon's blue underside emerged two limp, useless legs as well as a tail, tracked with tank tread-like markings.

"Dre-eiiiii!" the Pokémon roared, his voice blasting from the mouths on all three of his heads.

-:-

_"We apologize to our viewers," _Midori waffled on the news broadcast whose live stream Giovanni and Stacia were watching on his office computer._ "It appears that we have lost the live feed of Cresselia and Darkrai's battle. In order to continue our unbending goal of delivering the most up-to-date news as you need it, the Everton News Channel will work to restore the footage as soon as possible. This is the continuing live coverage of the disaster in Whitegold City, and we will be right back with more." _

"What do you think, Stacia?"

"E-Excuse me, sir?" As made plain by her reaction, Stacia wasn't used to being asked her opinion on anything.

"What do you think of this situation?" Giovanni posed again. "The unnatural appearance of a Pokémon long gone from Whitegold City. The resulting war between it and its sworn enemy, which threatens to destroy the entire city. How could the man who rules that place with an iron fist not know something about what is going on?"

"What… what exactly are you suggesting, sir?"

"Liam Everton knows far more about this than he's made apparent. His news broadcast is clearly an attempt at good public relations to maintain his façade during the disaster, in order to move focus away from his true connection to the events playing out."

Just as Giovanni finished his explanation of his hypothesis, a window he'd minimized into the upper-left corner of his screen began sounding an alarm beep. His hand swiftly went to the mouse sitting on his desk, which he used to guide the cursor on its way to expanding the window.

What he saw made him slam his fist down on the armrest of his chair so hard that it woke Persian out of his sleep nearby.

'Black City Exchange Trader's Account,' read the header of the window. Below it, a number of stocks were listed – Kanto Region Sovereign Currency, down 499 points so far that day. Driftveil Freight, down 503. Canalave Mining Corporation, down 478. These were just three of Giovanni's stock holdings, but the numbers were looking the same across the board. Hurriedly, Giovanni pulled open the window that displayed the general listings for the entire Black City Exchange, and much to his and Stacia's horror, the steep drop was afflicting nearly everything. Only precious commodity stocks, such as Brick Piece Reserves, Star Piece Trading, Icirrus Mineral Collection and Nugget Futures weren't in the red, and they were shooting upward at just as much of an alarming rate.

"The events in Whitegold City are tanking the stock market already…" Stacia astutely observed. "All investors are running to get their money into the safe, long-term commodity exchanges…"

"Stacia…" Giovanni said into his folded hands, showing a hint of nervousness, an unusual emotion for him, "put in a call to Governor Tobias's office. Tell them I need to speak to him right away. And once you're on a secure line, get that contact out to Dr. Zager already."

-:-

"Medicham, Ice Punch!"

"You won't get away with that, Katorena. Maractus, Cotton Guard!"

Breaking away from her Beheeyem and Starmie, Katorena's Medicham bore down on Woods's Maractus with her fist encased in freezing cold energy. Maractus, however, faced this without fear and generated a barrier of thick cotton around her body, deflecting nearly all of the strike's impact.

"Just where we wanted you. Go forth, Throh! Use Stone Edge!"

"You get in a shot too, Sawk. Poison Jab!"

Sawk and Throh double-teamed Medicham on the orders of their trainers. The latter created a field of energy around his body that turned into dozens of sharp-edged rocks, and by swinging his arms around, Throh made the stones barrage Medicham. Almost immediately after that, Sawk jumped in and stabbed Medicham in her stomach with his upturned hand, which was glowing purple.

Weary from the two strong attacks she had weathered, Medicham fell back.

"Medicham, be careful, I implore you!" Thinking of how tough Baker, Foster and Woods actually were, Katorena realized that she would need a great dose of ingenuity to win against them. She relished the challenge. "Medicham, Zen Headbutt! Beheeyem, use Psychic to hold Sawk in place for Medicham! And Starmie, hit them all using Blizzard!"

"Throh, hurry and use Wide Guard!"

Showing surprising agility for his squat body type, Throh stepped forth and spread his arms, creating a shield in front of himself and his allies that blocked the blast of icy air that Starmie sent their way.

The shield did not, however, block the psychic powers that grasped Sawk's body, holding him down. He was left a sitting duck as Medicham charged with her head lowered and glowing.

Meanwhile, Matt had sent Tanya to battle Everton's third Pokémon, the menacing dragon he called Hydreigon. Despite her size, even Tanya was dwarfed by Hydreigon's massive body; he had to be at least eight feet in height. He also had the ability to fly, which was rendering Tanya's job fighting him as a lot harder.

"Crawl around all you want, little rat," Everton shouted from the safety of his hoverboard while Hydreigon flew around above Tanya's reach. "You will never be able to defeat me! Hydreigon, Focus Blast!"

"Counter with Flash Cannon, Tanya! Hurry!"

Tanya and Hydreigon launched similar blasts from their mouths at their foes; Tanya's was bright silver while Hydreigon's was red. The two attacks met in between their users and exploded grandly, reflecting the kind of power that went into them. Matt had to hold his hat down to prevent it from being blown away by the wind gust.

Off to the side, Bunny was desperately writhing within the bondage of Cryogonal's ice chain, trying to reach her Poké Balls and send one of her Pokémon to help Matt.

They remained just out of reach for her, however, so she craned her neck to call back to Olivia. "Olivia! See if you can reach one of your Poké Balls! We need to help Matt!"

"I can't move enough to reach them!" Olivia answered, a response that caused both of their hearts to sink.

"Kuruu!" Nearby, Cresselia had finally pulled herself off the ground, where she'd been thrown following her release from Everton's trap. She looked up in pain, crying out when she saw her beloved friend Victini being tortured inside of the energy field.

Unexpectedly, Cresselia's body began to glow with intense silver light that soon focused on her head. It was a Zen Headbutt attack, just like Katorena's Medicham's but much stronger. She released a shrill cry into the air before ramming the energy field surrounding Victini. Sparks flew everywhere as she used all her strength to force closer and closer to Victini, eventually coming within inches of the center of the field, while the energy from her Zen Headbutt was absorbed evenly into the four generators.

"Vi… kuu…" Victini weakly groaned, trying to turn itself toward Cresselia, the one source of reassurance it had at the time.

Taking notice of Cresselia's valiant rescue effort, Everton grunted in amused disgust. "Cresselia, are you really that foolish, to think that you can break through there after I had you pinned inside?" Flicking his hand forward with little care, he ordered, "Hydreigon, Flamethrower."

It was then that the true, terrifying potential of Hydreigon's ability became apparent. He didn't even have to turn to attack Cresselia, he just used one of his smaller, undeveloped heads to flick a fireball in her direction. When it hit her, she was violently thrown away from Victini and the machines.

"Tiniiiii!" cried out the horrified Victini as it watched its friend disappear from sight.

"Everton, how could you?" Matt shouted, having seen enough of the man's cruelty. "Stop this!"

"Stop this?" the captain mocked from on high. "I'm just getting started. Hm?"

A series of Pokémon cries prompted Matt to turn around. He spotted Olivia's Minccino, Marie, Nekou's Zorua and Rowena's Cinccino rushing toward the generator cases. The group of four made a valiant attempt to break one of the cases, first with Marie and Zorua using Ice Beam and Dark Pulse simultaneously. That was followed by Cinccino shocking the generator with Thunderbolt, and finally, once Cinccino's electric attack subsided, Minccino hit the case four times with a cyclical tail attack.

None of it worked; the case remained undamaged. Almost immediately, Everton and Hydreigon had repositioned themselves, now hovering above the group of four Pokémon.

"Useless. Hydreigon, prepare a Dragon Pulse."

Inhaling deeply, Hydreigon gathered up a massive cloud of purple energy in a spherical shape before his center head. It was obvious what he was going to do with it, prompting both Olivia and Rowena to scream.

"Stop! Minccino isn't a part of this! Leave her alone!"

"Neither is Cinccino! Your problem is with me, not her! Back o…"

Rowena was cut off when she felt Nekou tightening up against her back, crushing her against the confines of Cryogonal's ice chain. Wisps of Nekou's hair strangely started to drape over Rowena's shoulders as well.

"Are you going to hurt Marie and Zorua…?" Nekou growled through her tightly gritted teeth. To get a handle on her rapidly escalating anger she forcefully shut her eyes, but when she reopened them, they were filled by a strange, bright yellow glow. "It'll be the last mistake you make!"

Everton ignored Nekou, while maintaining his smug demeanor, and instead addressed Victini. "Now, Victini, you have a choice. You can choose to reveal the Victory Star to me and give me what I want, or I can have my Hydreigon kill these four Pokémon purely because you won't cooperate. What will it be? The choice is yours!"

"Everton, you're sick!" Bunny howled in disgust. "Is there no length you'll not go to?"

"Of course I have no limits!" replied Everton in an almost flippant manner. He glanced over to the ongoing battle pitting Katorena against Woods, Foster and Baker, then turned back to Victini and lowered his hoverboard's altitude slightly. "Decide, Victini. I'm running out of time and patience for your resistance!"

Matt couldn't watch this horrific display of cruelty any further. Deciding to act, he started to call out, "Tanya, hit Hydreigon with Flash Cann…"

He never got the chance to finish giving the order, as it no longer mattered. Whether it was due to Everton's blackmail or the trap generators finally sapping the last of the energy it had to resist, Victini gave in. With one last scream, it released an energy pulse of massive proportions. The temperature of the area increased from the heat, which in turn weakened Cryogonal, thus loosening its grip on Nekou, Rowena, Bunny and Olivia. Tanya was able to stand fast against the gust, but Minccino, Cinccino, Marie and Zorua could not; neither could Hydreigon, whose flight turned into a liability. Medicham, Beheeyem, Starmie, Sawk, Throh and Maractus all were pushed back as well.

The energy pulse released from Victini's body was so immense in scale that it covered the entirety of Whitegold City, taking the form of an eight-pointed star within a circular border. No one on the ground would have been able to perceive this; it was only visible from the sky.

This was exactly what Everton wanted to see, too. Feeling an overwhelming sense of wicked triumph, he glided the hoverboard backward and down, and got off of it once he landed. Meanwhile, the battle between Katorena and Everton's henchmen ceased, the four trainers becoming so distracted by the events unfolding around them that they no longer could focus on their fight.

"Is that…?" Katorena gasped, slowly realizing the true gravity of what was going on. For what appeared to be a simple but hot glow of light, the energy struck fear deep into the girl's heart.

"There it is…" Everton's eyes widened and his voice became strained as he fought back the insane, overwhelming excitement he felt at what he was seeing. He stepped closer to the brightest part of the field, which radiated for feet around Victini itself, and breathily exclaimed, "…the Victory Star! After so long, I've finally found it!"

Foster and Baker were both stunned by what they were seeing, so it fell to the rather starstruck Woods to say something. His eyes were glassy from the emotions he felt himself at seeing the Victory Star finally reveal itself. "We can save the city now, Liam!" he called out. "No oil field on this planet is outside of our reach now! With that potential, every single resident of this city can be given a good-paying job working on our projects!"

"Woods," Everton said without turning from Victini, "you are relieved of duty."

"What?" Caught completely off guard, Woods recoiled.

"I said, you are relieved of duty! What don't you understand? I don't need soft-hearted fools like you in my visionary future!" Raising his arms partly upward, Everton continued to ramble, "To fully embrace the future offered by the Victory Star, only those who truly fear nothing and refuse to accept anything less than total victory can come forth! The world is on the brink of a fundamental transformation, no, an evolution to a new and ideal stage! And I… I shall be the one whose hands shape that future!"

"Stop this, Everton!" Matt yelled one last time, even though he knew by now that it was in vain. "You're deranged! This has to stop!"

Paying Matt no mind, Everton stepped into the inner core of the energy field. Within there, it was like a whole other world, nearly completely sealed off from everything outside. Now isolated alone with Victini, Everton slowly approached his prey while reciting the same chant listed by his grandfather in the log of Legendary Pokémon.

"Oh Victory Star, shine the light on the path I must take to my dreams. Victini, turn my road into one of fortune…"

A voice suddenly sounded in Everton's mind, visibly surprising him. _"__Do__ you __choose__ to__ make__ the__ contract__ of__ the__ Victory__ Star?__ Is __that __why__ you__ are __here?__"_

"Indeed it is!" The truth of who he was being addressed by quickly arrived, and Everton seemed even more confident for it. "I will fulfill that contract! I accept the power of the Victory Star, whatever the price!"

_"And so your choice is made. Let us begin, human."_

Now looking directly at Everton, Victini's eyes illuminated with a bright light while Everton's left eye filled with this same light. As the brightness grew, Victini slowly formed a mental link with Everton, creating a space in which they thought as one being with access to the thoughts of both minds. In order to create the contract, Victini began scanning Everton's mind for his deepest desires.

Much to Victini's horror, it could find absolutely nothing. Everton's mind was completely blank.

"Are you surprised, Victini?" An intense burst of malice erupted in Everton's voice as a wide grin deformed his aged, bearded face. Seizing Victini in a forceful, two-handed grasp, he viciously demanded, "The contract is not specific! Give me your powers… all of them!"

Unable to escape, Victini had no ability to avoid what rapidly became inevitable. It cried out in a screeching voice that echoed through the entire swamp area, then started bestowing its power onto Everton. This process was symbolized by the heat pulse covering the city to begin congealing back into the area, specifically into Everton's left eye, causing his monocle to break.

Because the bubble that had surrounded Victini was gone, Matt was once again able to see what was happening with it and Everton. Realizing quickly what was happening, he recalled Tanya into her Dusk Ball, then turned to Katorena. "Hurry, recall your Pokémon! Get them out of harm's way!"

Without a word, Katorena complied. She along with Matt and everyone else could do nothing as the terrifying spectacle of Everton's dreams being realized played itself out before their eyes.

"Yes, yes, oh yes!" screamed the cruel executive, blasting his voice skyward. "The energy… the energy flowing into this old body is making me new again! Soon I'll have everything I've aimed for!"

Finally, after well over a minute of the torturous process being inflicted upon it, Victini transferred the last of the power into Everton, causing a splash of blood to erupt from his afflicted eye. At the same time, the heat pulse amplified greatly and exploded, blowing away everyone standing nearby and ripping through the entire city. Every inch of water in all of Whitegold City spiked in temperature, even beginning to steam slightly for a time. Everton's Cryogonal was forced by the heat spike into a vapor state, releasing its four prisoners. The energy blast also decimated the four generators pinning Victini in place.

The site outside the church looked like a war zone. While most of the city escaped physical, material damage, the area where the incident happened did not – the landscape was charred and all of the people and Pokémon were scattered everywhere.

Matt was the first one back on his feet after the bizarre, devastating event. Victini had been thrown near his feet, so he picked it up before running over to Nekou, Olivia, Bunny and Rowena.

"Are you four alright?" he desperately asked.

"We're fine…" Nekou answered. "What the fuck just happened?"

"We'll have to figure it out later. We have to get out of here!"

"But how?" Olivia was trembling, clearly greatly frightened by what she'd just experienced.

"Hey! You five, look!" Woods was calling out to the group from a slight distance away. "Katorena, you too! All of you come with me on my hovercraft!"

"And why should we trust you, traitor?" Katorena shrilled.

"Trust me or not, it doesn't matter! I have nothing more to hide and we have to escape!"

Matt glanced back to the other four with him, who each nodded, one at a time. Rowena hesitated the longest, having had the most intimate relationship with Woods and thus the deepest sense of betrayal. She did eventually acquiesce, however, and the group rushed to join him, each one of them recalling their respective Pokémon as they ran.

As the hovercraft motored off into the distance, Baker and Foster apprised their situation from the church's courtyard.

"They got Victini…" Foster blankly stated, "and Woods went with them too…"

"Then we must give pursuit!" Baker fumed. "Captain Everton's pride and success is at stake!"

"Cool your temper, Baker."

Both security officials abruptly turned, and much to their surprise, Everton was standing behind them. The fabric of his suit was lightly burned from the heat pulse, and he had his eyes closed. From the inside of his jacket, he extracted a new monocle to replace the broken one and attached it to his face.

Smirking, he said in a quiet but menacing manner, "Why are you two panicking? We're in no hurry to catch up with them. There is truly nowhere they can go!"

At the end of his sentence, Everton snapped his eyes open, and what Baker and Foster saw caused them to gasp in a combination of excitement and disgust.

Their boss's left eye had changed. The normal coloration, his pupil and iris – they were all gone. Replacing them was the same eight-pointed star that had been projected over the city. On the star, the diagonal points overlaid the horizontal and vertical points. The upper diagonal points were colored red, forming a 'V' shape, while the bottom diagonal points were light blue. Finally, the horizontal and vertical points were darker blue.

"The Victory Star…!" both guards exclaimed.

"Yes, it is," Everton confirmed with arrogance. "This is the true Victory Star, which will guide me to absolutely any victory I require it to. Foster, give me a report on the effects of the destabilization of Victini's energy field."

"Yes, right away, sir!" The escalation of the situation made Foster nervous, a fact that was clearly reflected in his shaky voice. He ran back to the truck and fetched a rectangular, black tablet computer, then returned to Everton and Baker. "According to the readings, a few minutes ago when the energy field destabilized and you acquired the Victory Star, a significant spike in the surface temperature of the water in the city as well as the humidity in the air was recorded."

Looking up at the sky, Everton spied some dark, rapidly-gathering clouds. Satisfied, he started walking back toward his hoverboard.

"My plan is going along perfectly. All that's left now is to capture Victini and prepare the ark. Defeating Matt Chiaki and his ragtag little band of rats won't be hard… Baker! Foster! Collect your gear and get the truck going again. We're going after them…" As he entered a command into the right-hand keyboard on the dashboard, Everton finished, "…but first, let's send them a little surprise, shall we?"

**END of CHAPTER 2**


	4. The Price of Victory

**CHAPTER 3**: The Price of Victory

-:-

A window headed by the text "Secure Video Stream" prominently displayed on Giovanni's computer. Inside the square was a shoulders-up shot of an elderly man whose white hair, lab coat and blue undershirt were all unkempt.

"Gabriel," Giovanni whispered, filled with a mix of anger and confusion that Stacia could detect while standing next to him, "explain to me what just happened."

"It appears from observing the readings that a thermal plume has been released throughout Whitegold City," the old scientist stated with great care. While he spoke, his mouth barely became visible beneath his thick white moustache. "The measured water temperature and air humidity have already spiked drastically and are not showing signs of imminent reduction. Should this trend continue, the possibility of a severe storm developing is highly likely."

Giovanni clasped his hands together and rested his head against them. He stared at the computer screen, carefully considering every bit of information he'd received. Gabriel, meanwhile, just stared back at his boss through the video link in uncomfortable silence.

Something wasn't adding up to Giovanni. He kept trying to reconcile the appearance of Darkrai with the sudden thermal plume, and no scenario he considered made much sense. That is, there was no sensible scenario until something clicked and prompted him to reopen the stock market window.

When he saw the roughly thousand-point plunges on just about every non-commodity stock, and the similarly-sized increases on those few precious investments, Giovanni slammed his hands down onto his desk in anger. Both Stacia and Gabriel visibly jumped from the crash.

"It's an act of economic terrorism," he growled. "With just an investment in the Icirrus Mineral Collection, which right now has gone from 322 points to 1248 points, you could take a ten thousand dollar initial investment and turn it into two million, eight hundred and seventy six thousand dollars. Someone who knew that the disaster in Whitegold City would happen could have predicted this chaotic shift on the world's markets and prepared for it."

"Sir," Stacia cautiously ventured, "Are you actually suggesting…?"

"Of course, what else would I be suggesting? The circumstances are too perfect. Liam Everton may have engineered the events in Whitegold City so he could make untold millions of dollars cheating the stock market. Well, I for one will not stand for it. Gabriel, continue monitoring the weather conditions in and around Whitegold City for any developments."

"Of course, yes, sir!" Having received his instructions, Gabriel disappeared from the screen.

As Giovanni reclined in his chair and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, Stacia shakily asked him, "Is… there anything I should do, sir?"

"Did you contact the governor's office yet?"

"I couldn't get through, sir…"

"Then why haven't you kept on trying?" he thundered. The last thing Giovanni wanted to deal with at the time was foolishness from his followers, even if it was from Stacia, his most competent. "Go call them again! This is a red-phone level emergency! Someone in a position of power has to try to get the trading day suspended before Liam Everton completely wrecks the global financial system!"

"Right away, sir!" Stacia flinched. She then turned and quickly made her way out of Giovanni's office, walking swiftly on the red rug.

-:-

A sense of defeat hung over the passengers of the hovercraft as it cut through the murky waters of Whitegold City's swamp.

Lying in Olivia's lap, Victini breathed heavily. It was badly injured from Everton's vicious attack and could barely move. Olivia and Katorena were trying desperately to tend to it.

"Please hang on, Victini," plead Olivia, "I beg you! Don't die because that mean old man had to do what he did!"

"It needs medicine," Katorena added, turning to the others. "Please, do any of you happen to possess some medicine?"

"I've brought some supplies, so hopefully I've got something that'll work…" As he rooted around in his bag, however, Matt quickly found that he did not, in fact, have anything that fit being called medicine. It was all bottles of water and various snacks, so out of need to choose something, he held up a round, red-and-orange cookie. "I've got this…"

"A Lava Cookie!" Nekou exclaimed. "Ordinarily, if I knew you had a Lava Cookie, I'd already have eaten it, but this time Victini needs it more… so do what has to be done."

"Would you like this, Victini?" Matt asked of the Pokémon while holding the cookie near it.

"Kuticu…" answered Victini with a very weak voice. Taking up the cookie, Victini took tiny, slow bites out of it.

"When we get to my home, I have a Full Restore I can give Victini." Woods did not turn around at all as he spoke, instead opting to stare straight ahead.

Rowena, however, would have none of this. She forced the issue by grabbing Woods by the collar and getting right in his face. "Why should we believe you now when it's your fault Everton has gotten this far?"

Her anger at Woods went deeper than the simplest sense of being sold out to the enemy. That was bad enough. But to Rowena, the relationship between reporter and source was one of the most important things possible, so Woods's actions – leading her on with the bait of a big story, then betraying her for the person she was trying to thwart – infuriated her and made her feel profoundly violated.

"I didn't know that Liam was going to go this far, I swear. I really, truly believed that he had good intentions behind what he was doing. I believed in him and I was naive."

"Why should I trust you?" Rowena screamed, right in Woods's face.

Just as Woods opened his mouth to answer, however, he was cut off. Something impacted the bottom of the hovercraft from beneath the water's surface, throwing it and its passengers onto the bank of the marsh.

"What was that?" Matt frantically looked around, quickly spotting Olivia, Nekou, Bunny, Victini and the others scattered about the small area near the crashed hovercraft. "You guys! Are you all alright?"

"I'm fine!" Olivia called back. "I think we're all fine! But what the hell was that? What hit us?"

A low, guttural croaking sound materialized in the air, as if answering Olivia's question. The voice belonged to the Seismitoad that had been attacked by Darkrai earlier; he was now standing on the marsh bank, staring at Matt rigidly in an almost zombie-like state.

"That Pokémon, what is it?" Matt wondered aloud.

"It's a Seismitoad," Nekou answered. "A Water-and-Ground-type originally from Unova."

"Do you have any Grass-types right now?" Bunny asked of Matt. "Those would be best, because this fight looks unavoidable."

"No, but that tip did help anyway. Ayingott, make your mark!" To battle Seismitoad, Matt sent Ayingott out again. She spread her wings and chirped to announce her presence. "Hurry, use Energy Ball!"

A faint aura appeared around the trees and brush in the area, and Ayingott drew this natural power toward herself and focused it into a single green sphere. Seismitoad's response was slow, so when he spit up a stream of boiling-hot water to try and push it back, it was all but too late. The Energy Ball and Scald attacks pushed against each other for a moment before Energy Ball won out and crashed into Seismitoad.

Strangely, though, despite his visible injuries, Seismitoad did not react much at all. He still stood there and stared.

"Something is not right with that Seismitoad," Katorena pointed out, perhaps stating the obvious. "Why did it not react? And why is it that I cannot sense much of anything from that Pokémon? Usually, I can sense the mood of a Pokémon unless they're sleeping…"

"Wait…" Matt breathed, his eyes widening as the true realization of the situation hit him. "Pink smoke that induces a trance-like state in its victims… a seemingly zombified Pokémon whose mood cannot be sensed, as if it was asleep… this is the Dreamyarn Inceptor!"

"What are you saying?"

"He's saying that Everton is controlling Pokémon like this Seismitoad remotely through their dreams," Bunny explained to Nekou. "He must only have to put them to sleep within range of the machine, and then he can enter their dreams and control their actions!"

"That's right…" Rowena confirmed with noticeable nervousness. "It was always claimed that the Dreamyarn Inceptor was an energy source and I always thought they were lying… but I never expected it to be used for this… Everton could create an entire army of Pokémon to do his bidding without question…"

"This Seismitoad is just a victim, then… I have to save it. Woods, get the hovercraft back in the water while I do this!"

"Good idea, I'll do that…" Woods gestured to Nekou, Bunny and Rowena for help in fulfilling Matt's suggestion.

"Ayingott, use Ice Beam on Seismitoad!"

Flying right above Seismitoad's head, Ayingott focused a concentrated ray of ice onto him; he did not look up or flinch at all. He simply stood eerily still as the freezing energy coursed through his body.

Seismitoad's behavior disturbed not only Matt but also Olivia, who was watching from nearby with Victini in her arms. She called out, "Matt, you can't just stand here and keep hitting it, it's not working!"

"I'd say you're right about that," Matt responded, furrowing his eyebrow. "Maybe I'll just need to put an end to this now. Ayingott, Psychic!"

The blue light that glowed from Ayingott's eyes surrounded Seismitoad, constricting his movements. Matt was satisfied that the Water-and-Ground-type was subdued, so he reached into his back and took out a special Poké Ball printed with a blue wave pattern.

"When everything comes together, the answer becomes clear… Dive Ball, target Seismitoad! Go!"

Right to the end, Seismitoad still didn't flinch, even when the Dive Ball hit him in the forehead. The ball opened and converted Seismitoad into red light, which it then absorbed before closing and falling to the ground.

Several factors were in Matt's favor. The Dive Ball was a special Poké Ball that was designed to capture Pokémon which lived in the water, and because Seismitoad was still sleeping despite being controlled, it was even more susceptible to being captured. Before long, the ball stopped shaking on the ground and gave off a pinging noise to indicate success.

"Well done, Matt!" Woods called out from his hovercraft, which was back in the water and refilled with its passengers. "Hurry, we must get going!"

"I guess I'll have to name you later, then," Matt said to the Dive Ball after picking it up.

A small rumble of thunder sounded in the sky as Matt rushed back to the hovercraft, and just as it pulled away from the bank, rain began to fall.

-:-

"I see…"

Everton was floating on his hoverboard outside the church, with Hydreigon floating nearby. Foster, Baker, Throh and Sawk were all already back inside their truck. On the dashboard-mounted screen, Everton had the Dreamyarn Inceptor control screen open; a window marked with Seismitoad's silhouette was filled with static.

"Captain Everton, what has happened?" Baker's voice came through a speaker on the hoverboard's dashboard.

"Seismitoad responded to the controls of the Dreamyarn Inceptor," Everton replied, with his voice being transmitted back into the truck, "but Matt captured it, and the reception was cut. It appears to be a design flaw in the system."

"We can get to reprogramming that right away," Foster spoke up in suggestion.

"No, it's more important to pursue Victini." The rain, while not heavy, was falling hard enough for Everton to notice. "We're on the clock now. I suspect I know where they will go, but to be sure…" Widening his left eye, Everton called out, "Victory Star!"

The glowing star in the man's eye transformed; it went from a simple pattern to a shimmering, tunnel-like projection in the same shape. When this happened, the sight being transmitted to Everton's mind changed. He now saw a run-down house on the swamp's edge, one that was nearly falling apart but still somehow inhabitable.

Having seen the path to his desired victory, Everton blinked and leaned over onto the control panel of his hoverboard to support himself as he caught his breath.

"Captain Everton, what happened?"

"Baker… the Victory Star has shown me the way to my goal. Come, follow me!"

Everton pulled on the handles that controlled the hoverboard, turning in the direction of the deepest part of the marshland before gliding off. Baker and Foster followed him as closely as possible with their truck.

-:-

The house that Everton saw with the Victory Star was Woods's home. It was as dilapidated as it seemed, but the insides were neat enough, albeit quite dark. Inside was filled with simple living implements, including a bare-bones kitchen, an aged bed on a rusting frame, an old television set that still used rabbit-ear antennae, and various wooden furniture.

Rain fell steadily on the windows as the group took shelter inside the dwelling. While Rowena stared out at the weather, Matt, Olivia, Nekou, Bunny and Katorena all worked to tend to Victini, a task that got much easier when Woods returned to the room with a boxy spray bottle filled with green liquid.

"Here," he said while leaning down to level with the others, "a Full Restore, as promised."

Victini cried lightly when Woods sprayed the substance onto it, as despite it being medicine, it stung Victini's body. However, the pain didn't last long, and Victini quickly began feeling better, even jumping up and beginning to fly around again. Its energy level wasn't back to one hundred percent instantly, but it was an excellent start.

"Tini! Tini!" it squealed in front of Matt.

"What, Victini? What is it?"

"I think that Victini desires one of those confections you gave it earlier," Katorena suggested.

"The Lava Cookie? Of course, that makes sense."

Matt handed over one of the cookies, and Victini flew off to a corner to eat in peace. This prompted Woods to smile halfheartedly, an expression that did not last for long.

"Rowena… please come over here. I'm going to tell everything."

"What do you mean?" Though she was still angry, Rowena was intrigued by Woods's promise, so she followed his request and joined the others with him.

"I'll tell you everything. The true story of why Victini came to the city, the truth about Darkrai and Cresselia, everything."

"How will knowing any of this help us now, though?" Bunny peevishly questioned. As much as she liked history – and indeed, she did want to hear the story – she didn't think it held any relevance to the danger they were currently in.

"Please, I know I haven't done much to earn your trust so far…" Woods nodded to Nekou and then Rowena as he said this, vaguely referencing his recent poor actions, "…but you have to listen to me this time. Everything is connected.

So, as you know, Cresselia and Darkrai battled in Whitegold City fifty years ago, and when Cresselia won, she and Victini took up residence in the city with Cresselia becoming Victini's protector. What you don't know is just how connected I am to it all. Back then, as a boy, I was a young assistant navigator on the ship helmed by Liam's grandfather, the great Captain Becket Everton."

"You were with that arrogant, foul man's grandfather?" Nekou repeated, physically showing less interest than she actually had.

Bunny added to it, saying, "What was he like?"

"Completely different than Liam, that's for sure. Captain Becket Everton was a generous and kind man, a fearless and true leader. Like Everton family members before and after him, he helped bring success to Whitegold City through his continuing development of the city as a shipping hub for the entire world.

He conducted his voyages under the light of Victini, who he encountered in a far-off land long before we met. While he did not possess the power of the Victory Star, Victini still travelled on his ship to explore the world. The two of them… they truly loved the thrill of adventure, and sailing to new and exotic places was the joy that made their lives worth living."

"Victini exploring the world with Everton's grandfather…" Matt said in wonder. "It sounds like they were very good friends."

"Indeed they were. Becket Everton and Victini bonded over their love for adventuring and exploring the world. But, the story isn't that simple. One day, while resting between voyages here in Whitegold City, Everton found that Victini had befriended a young girl who lived here. The two were playing together enthusiastically, without a care in the world." After pausing a moment to make sure his audience was still with him, Woods continued, "Well, Becket just couldn't break them up, so he invited the girl to sail on his ship and be with Victini.

Things went well for many years, even as that girl grew into a young woman. However, not long after I joined Becket's crew as an assistant navigator – my first job in the maritime field – something happened that changed everything…"

~:~

On that night fifty years earlier, a raging storm battered the ocean. A ship shaped out of silver iron was being tossed on the churning waves, with sheets of rain falling on its decks like relentless bullets from the roiling black sky.

Up on the ship's bridge, an aged man very similar in appearance to Liam Everton stood looking out at the chaos his vessel was embroiled in. He had his gaunt arms crossed behind his back, and his navy-blue suit hung loosely on his thin frame. From his face, one could judge that he wasn't someone who got enough sleep, judging from the dark shadows under his eyes.

"I've never seen a storm like this, not in my many years sailing the seas," the man said to his companions on the bridge.

Besides Woods, who at the time appeared like a much younger version of his future self without an eyepatch, there was the young woman in the story, who had shoulder-length black hair, pale skin and a typically masculine sailor's suit. With her was Victini, acting nervously due to the crisis at hand.

"Captain Everton, sir," Woods gasped, looking over charts and radar readings, "our speed has decreased to near zero, and the waves are showing no mercy on us. She's a fine ship, but I'm not sure we'll last out here like this."

Without turning, Becket Everton removed his silver captain's hat and ran his hand through his gray hair, ending with him brushing through his thick beard. "We'll get through it just fine, Woods. The guiding light of Victini has blessed…"

A bolt of lightning suddenly descended from the sky and struck the roof of the ship's cabins, briefly shorting out the power and causing the entire vessel to rock violently. Everton had to steady himself against the railing he was standing at, while Woods, the girl and Victini were thrown to the floor.

"Vikutiii!" cried the Pokémon. It scrambled over to its friend in an attempt to find security.

"What should we do, Mister Everton?" the girl begged. "Can we get home?"

Before he could answer, Everton was distracted by the ringing of a bright red telephone mounted on the wall nearby. He walked over to it, picked it up and said, "Captain Everton, what is it? Are you seriously saying…"

The air outside became unsettlingly still and quiet for a moment, a tranquility that was broken with rumbling that indicated the dropping of an even bigger lightning bolt. It struck the main deck of the ship near the side, which when combined with the continued impact of the violent waves caused a hole to tear open in the ship's hull.

Everton hit his head when he was thrown against the wall, and a slow trickle of blood leaked from the wound onto the floor. Woods struggled to his feet and stumbled over to his captain.

"Captain Everton!" he exclaimed. "Sir, are you hurt?"

"We've got worse things to worry about than me getting a little bloodied." Just as Everton said this, an alarm started going off throughout the ship, indicating the hull breach. Managing to pull the receiver for the ship's intercom off its holder, he sent out a message, "Attention all crew members, this is your captain speaking. The hull has been breached and we are going down. I repeat, we are going down. An evacuation order is now in place. Make your way to the life boats at once. This is an order!"

"We're not going to make it!" the young woman shrieked, embracing Victini tightly in fear. "We're too far out to sea!"

"No, we can survive, but we have to evacuate the ship now!" Woods attempted to help the young woman stand, but another violent rocking of the ship threw him back again. "What about you, sir?"

"The captain must always be the last man off the ship. I have a duty to see this through."

"But, sir, you will not survive!"

"This is not up for discussion, Woods. Save yourself and…"

Everton's statement was silenced when a bright light began to shine around Victini's body, filling the entire bridge with its glow.

_"Do you wish to survive?"_

"W-who said that?" Woods exclaimed, frantically glancing around in the blinding light. "Who's there?"

Feeling as if she was the one being addressed by the voice, the young woman answered, "Yes, I don't want to die! Help me!"

_"I will grant you a power that will give you that victory. But in return you will make a contract with me and you will be in my debt. Do you accept the contract of the Victory Star?"_

"The… Victory Star?" Becket Everton knew what this was, and that knowledge helped him realize who was speaking as well.

"I accept the contract! Please, save me and my friends!"

The moment that the pact was accepted, the light got even brighter, completely blinding and overwhelming the senses of Everton and Woods.

~:~

Some time later, the storm had cleared up, but the ship was gone. All that remained were pieces of wreckage scattered about the surface. The bright crescent moon in the sky reflected in the water with strange, stunning beauty.

Within the wreckage field, Woods awoke, finding himself clinging to a large, broken plank. He hastily looked around, and upon spotting Becket Everton slung over another piece of flotsam, swam to his captain.

"Captain Everton, sir!" exclaimed the young navigator, shaking his superior officer's body with one hand while clinging to the wreckage with the other. "Please, wake up!"

"Ugh…" Drowsing awake, Everton coughed violently, hacking up a spray of water that he'd swallowed during the disaster. "Woods… you're alright? Where is everyone…?"

"Sir…" The news Woods had to deliver was incredibly painful, and he didn't want to have to be the one to tell it to Everton. However, given the facts contained within it, he had no other choice. "It doesn't look like anyone else made it… I can't see any other crew members… I think we may be the only survivors from when she went down."

"Impossible!" Everton spat, refusing to accept this. "My ship was a true jewel of the seas. She was a fine vessel staffed by finer men, and you're going to tell me not even Christina made it? Young, innocent Christina who only sailed with us because she loved the journey?"

"Kuruu!"

Another bright light appeared behind Everton and Woods. They could see enough of it being cast over their shoulders, so they maneuvered to turn while still holding on to the wreckage buoying them on the surface.

Slowly descending from the sky, seemingly from the crescent moon itself, was a glowing, angelic figure. She soon took the form of Cresselia to the two survivors of the sinking, and Victini was sitting upon her back.

~:~

"…and with the guidance of Victini and Cresselia, Becket and I made our way back home to Whitegold City. From there, as you know, Cresselia and Darkrai battled, and when Cresselia drove away Darkrai, Victini took up permanent residence here under her custody."

Matt and the others were all clearly enthralled by Woods's story, staring with wide eyes and open mouths. There was more to the tale, though, and it was Bunny that realized it.

"If I'm interpreting the story correctly," she stated with a tone of matter-of-fact wonder, "did that girl, Christina, become Cresselia?"

The others all gasped. They hadn't realized the possibility of Christina having become Cresselia, but they all collectively realized how much of a logical guess it was once they heard it. The final confirmation of their suspicions came when Woods nodded.

"Indeed, that is the case. Christina contracted with Victini for the power of the Victory Star, her desired victory to be survival during the disaster. That manifested itself by transforming her into Cresselia, and her obligation on the contract was to use her newly-granted power to protect Victini forevermore."

"To think Victini has so much power…" whispered a stunned Matt. Slowly lifting his head, he uttered, "But what does this have to do with why Liam is taking all of these actions? If Cresselia is really a person, that means all the things he's done to her… forcing her to fight Darkrai, electrocuting her in that trap…"

"Don't go down that line of thought," Woods interrupted. "It is impossible to distinguish in this day and age how much of Christina's humanity still remains inside of Cresselia, or if she is just driven by the contract to protect Victini."

"That's no excuse for what Everton's done!" Matt argued in response, raising his voice angrily.

"I didn't say it was! But to get to answering your other question, let me tell you more of my story. Like I said, it was fifty years ago that Becket Everton's ship sank, setting in motion the chain of events that resulted in Victini and Cresselia taking up residence in Whitegold City. Ten years after that, or forty years ago, that was when I first met Liam Everton. He recruited me into the position of first mate aboard his own ship based on my own experience working for his grandfather. Even back then, Liam was different than his grandfather in every possible way… he was consumed by greed and ambition."

"Why did you trust him back there, then?" asked Bunny, alluding to Woods attempting to align himself with Everton at the church.

"I should have known better. I thought he had changed in the years since I last dealt with him."

"Well then, you're just a bad judge of character, aren't you?" Nekou sniped. "But there is one thing… what do you mean by 'years?' What was the last time before that?"

"And that was the part of the story I was dreading coming to. After I joined Liam Everton's crew in the year 1972, we spent the next five years researching all possible leads regarding the whereabouts of Victini. We couldn't locate the Victini that was living in Whitegold City, but the leads we found brought us to another one…"

~:~

Roughly thirty-five years earlier, on July 7, 1977, the younger Liam Everton and Woods walked into an urban garden that somewhat resembled Balise Park. On the path they were walking, a sign offered the information of their location; it read "Welcome to Castelia City Northern District!" in finely-painted letters.

Everton, who back then had thick hair, an even more substantial beard than in the present and a prominent moustache, looked around carefully. His immediate surroundings were verdant, but tall buildings towered all around the park's outskirts.

With them were three Pokémon. Everton's shiny Cryogonal was one, and the other two were the previous, less-evolved forms of his other Pokémon. Klang was nearly identical in appearance to Klinklang, except for the absence of the red core gear and spiked frame, while Zwelious was a quadruped creature in similar colors to Hydreigon, but land-bound and with only two heads instead of three.

"Victini!" he called out after what seemed like forever. "I know you are here, Victini! Show yourself!"

"What exactly will you do, Liam?" Woods asked nervously.

"I will make Victini appear and then I will complete that contract, what else?" Everton's answer oozed confidence. He acted as if he knew exactly how everything would happen. "Now, Victini, appear! I wish for the contract of the Victory Star!"

After a few minutes of no response, a shimmer appeared in the air six feet from Everton and Woods's position, which materialized into a Victini. This Victini was a different one from the Victini in Whitegold City, so its behavior was somewhat different – it was more serious and composed, simply floating before the man who had called out to it.

"Tinicu?"

"I've searched long and hard for you, Victini!" boasted Everton, spreading his arms wide. "Long have I desired to enter into your contract for the power of the Victory Star!"

Despite Everton doing his best to sound sincere, Victini sensed something was amiss and did not approach him any further. Seeing this made Everton smile broadly.

"What's the matter, Victini? You don't trust me?" Abruptly lowering his head and smiling even more, Everton viciously finished, "Good choice. Cryogonal, Acrobatics!"

"Cryooo~"

Cryogonal cut through the air with such speed that it briefly became invisible, reappearing right before it struck Victini with its sharply angled body. When the legendary Psychic-and-Fire-type hit the ground, it left a charred outline of itself.

"Victinii!" the Pokémon angrily screeched. A ball of flame enveloped its body in the beginnings of the attack called Searing Shot, which it intended to use to strike vengeance against Cryogonal.

Out of nowhere, however, an electric blast descended upon Victini, causing the unfinished Searing Shot to explode and injure Victini even further. It was a Thunderbolt attack from Klang that had caught Victini so terribly off guard.

"You do not have a choice!" bellowed Everton, who was lording over the clash with his right hand in his pocket. "I will bring the power of the Victory Star home to Whitegold City! Cryogonal, use Frost Breath!"

An intense blast of icy wind gusted out from the opening in Cryogonal's face where its ice chains hung. Victini wasn't hurt much, however, and in response hit Cryogonal with the flaming tackle known as Flame Charge.

Woods had to jump out of the way of Cryogonal, as the Ice-type was violently thrown in his direction. The situation was getting nerve-wracking for him, and he decided to vocalize his concerns. "Liam, there must be a better way. This is too much…"

"Men like us who will change the world do not give up when victory is at hand! Klang, Thunderbolt, now! Use it relentlessly!"

Taking on an even altitude to Victini, Klang started rotating at a rapid speed and saying its name repeatedly. An even bigger electrical shock was generated, and it sustained itself for quite a long time in order to damage Victini.

"Now, Zweilous, it's time to put Victini in checkmate." Pulling his right hand out of his pocket and thrusting it forward, Everton commanded, "Crunch!"

Zweilous started running toward Victini on his stubby legs as Klang finished up its attack. Once Klang's Thunderbolt finally ceased, Victini – its body battered and fur visibly burnt – fell weakly to the ground. Almost instantly Zweilous was there, biting Victini savagely with the fangs of his left head.

In the past, however, Everton hadn't done as much research into Victini as he had done in the present, so he didn't expect what happened next. Once it was hurt enough, Victini used a discharge of fire to blast itself out of Zweilous's grip. It stumbled through the air and happened to land in Woods's arms as he stood by watching.

Woods suddenly couldn't perceive Everton, Klang, Cryogonal, Zweilous or anyone or anything else around him. The only presence his mind could sense was Victini; he couldn't even tell if he was in the park anymore.

_"This is not your fault, human. I will give you power. One day may you use it for good."_

"Power?" Woods gasped, clearly frightened by his not knowing what was about to happen. "Just make all of this stop!"

Blinding light completely consumed Woods and Victini, spreading through the entire park. Its brightness forced Everton to use his arm to shield his eyes.

Soon thereafter, a fiery explosion swept over the entire area.

~:~

"…the northern part of Castelia City completely burned to the ground, and that Victini disappeared."

"I don't care about that!" Olivia shouted, having gotten on her hands and knees so she could get right in Woods's face. "I paid attention to your story, and I caught your dirty little secret! You have a Victory Star, don't you?"

"He did imply that he got one…" Matt concurred.

"So what is it?" Rowena demanded with her arms crossed. "What other secrets have you been keeping?"

Woods sighed. "You got me," he said sadly, removing his eyepatch as he did so.

Indeed, underneath, his left eye was filled by the eight-pointed star symbol, just like the one Liam Everton now possessed. It wasn't until they actually saw it that the group experienced a collective shock over this surprise, with a disjointed series of gasps, mumbles and simple staring greeting Woods's revelation. Rowena was the one showing the most interest, as with this development, her story suddenly became a lot more interesting.

"But why did you hide it?" the reporter finally managed to ask.

"I couldn't figure out how to use it. The contract I was forced into wasn't clear to me. All I can understand of this power is that I cannot leave Whitegold City, as every time I try to, I black out and invariably end up back inside."

"I would hypothesize," Matt stated while staring at the floor, "that your contract has some connection to either Liam or Victini. If you can't leave this city, you're obviously bound to something inside of it."

"What were you thinking of when Castelia City's Victini forced the contract onto you?" Bunny asked, evidently having come up with a possible solution.

Woods shut his eyes and reflected back upon that night thirty-five years earlier. "What was I thinking of?" Despite being three-and-a-half decades old, the scene was still crystal clear in Woods's mind, making it easy for the old man to recollect his mindset at the time. "Just before Victini forced the power onto me, I said that I wanted Liam's vicious attack to stop…"

Without warning, the entire house was rocked by a violent explosion, and the building's roof was torn off by a blast of purple energy, allowing the increasingly-heavy rain to pour in. Everton's Hydreigon flew into view overhead shortly thereafter.

"Shit, he found us!" Nekou shrilled the second she saw the dragon.

Jumping to his feet, Matt shouted out, "Everyone, get out of here! This house is a death trap!"

The group scattered in their haste to escape the imminent danger Hydreigon posed. Woods, Rowena, Bunny and Katorena immediately fled for the exit, while Matt, Nekou and Olivia went in the opposite direction, hoping to pull Victini safely from where it was eating first.

Focusing on the latter group, Hydreigon turned and took a deep breath, then exhaled a jet of crimson fire. At first, Matt, Nekou and Olivia seemed like sitting ducks for this Flamethrower, but they found help from an unexpected source when Victini floated into the space between them and Hydreigon's attack.

"Victini?" Olivia had no idea what Victini was doing, and therefore her knee-jerk reaction was that Victini intended to sacrifice itself to protect them.

Luckily, that was not the case. The tiny Legendary Pokémon's eyes flashed and emitted arcs of silver light that pushed back against the flames. However, even Victini's Psyshock was not strong enough to completely neutralize Hydreigon's Flamethrower.

"Maractus, Energy Ball, let's go!"

Having suddenly reappeared in the doorway with his Maractus, Woods ordered her forth to save the three. She pointed her right arm directly at the point where Psyshock and Flamethower were combining and launched a crackling green Energy Ball into the mix, causing an explosion that used up the power of all three.

"Why'd you come back, old man? We didn't ask for…"

"Nekou, stuff it!" Matt scolded, grabbing her arm in his left hand and Olivia's in his right. "We have to get out of here, now!"

With his two female companions firmly in his grasp and Victini floating in front of him, Matt hurried across the room to where Woods and Maractus were standing. Behind him, in the hallway leading directly to the exit, were Rowena, Bunny and Katorena.

The reformed group hastily headed for the door once their full numbers were collected, but before they could escape, Hydreigon snapped out of the daze that the explosion had placed him in. Enraged by his targets' attempt to escape, he inhaled using all three of his heads and expelled a triple-strength Flamethrower into the house. The resulting fiery blast was so forceful that it threw all seven, screaming and flailing, outside into the driving rain. All that remained of Woods's house, meanwhile, was a wooden wreck completely engulfed in flames.

"It's good to see you again, Matt Chiaki," Everton said with his best forced politeness, having disembarked his hoverboard a few feet away. "I believe we have some outstanding business to attend to. Give me Victini."

"And why would I do that?" Matt countered, bringing himself back to his feet while the others did the same behind him. "Besides, you've gotten what you wanted already…" Matt's stomach turned as he admitted this, but he had no other choice. "…so why do you still want Victini itself?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Just then, Baker and Foster finally caught up with Everton, pulling their truck into the clearing. Its tires squished in the mud as it stopped to allow its two occupants, as well as their Pokémon, to jump out.

"Captain Everton!" Baker called. "We've arrived!"

"Stand down," was Everton's order to them. Turning back to Matt, he spilled his plans. "Victini is necessary because it can produce unlimited energy within its body. It's the ultimate future energy source… completely clean and limitless. But before I initiate the system to provide the world's energy with Victini, I will first use my Victory Star to find all untapped oil fields on the planet. With control over all of the world's oil, the vast wealth I will obtain will bring me power, and when all the oil is gone, I'll simply put Victini's energy into use. At that point, I will have massive wealth and control over the entire world's energy!"

"It… can't be…" stuttered a wide-eyed Rowena. "You wanted… all of this?"

"Yes, my dear Rowena! I will have money, the ability to see my way to any victory I wish for, and complete control over the world's energy market! I have no need to exert any political control, no need to launch any war, no need to do anything beyond what I do now as president of Everton International! By controlling the one thing all people of all countries, colors and creeds need and just that thing alone, I will have the ability to control the entire world!"

As Everton let out an insane laugh, Matt and his allies could only look on and attempt to comprehend just what he aimed to do. Between them, they had to confess that his plan actually was solid – he was completely right that if one person controlled the world's energy, they would have all nations at their beck and call with that influence. It quickly felt that the odds were stacking themselves in Everton's favor beyond hope.

"You've got one problem, Liam," Woods spoke up, a smug grin appearing on his face. "Everyone in this city will know that you have done something here today. Before you can take control of the planet's energy sources, the people of Whitegold City will bring you down. Beware of underestimating them."

Everton was unfazed by this threat; in fact, it almost seemed to make him more cocky. "I've already covered that angle!" he exclaimed, his eyes widening while their pupils and irises shrank. "Do you see around you right now? This storm that you see developing right now is my ultimate weapon, which I will destroy Whitegold City with!"

The meaning of Everton's declaration hit the group instantly, making them all step back in horror. That one sentence – the warning that he would control the weather to destroy Whitegold City – completely changed their impressions of Everton. No longer was he the cruel-natured executive who would do anything for business success, he was now a psychopathic megalomaniac with no qualms about committing mass murder for his goals. Even Woods, who had known him for forty years and had held some faith in him until just earlier that day, could no longer see him as anything but a monster.

"The entire…" Bunny whispered, her shock rendering her barely able to breathe. "All of the people…"

"You're a madman, Liam Everton!" blared Katorena, now trying to mask the overwhelming fear she felt. It was something she'd never dealt with before – prior to this, she'd never had to face such danger in life. Despite her fear, however, she knew that breaking free from her sheltered past would involve risks and she resolved to fight to the end. "What gives you the delusion you can exercise control over the weather and manipulate it to wage war on your own city?"

"It's very simple! When I obtained the Victory Star, a thermal plume was released into the city, which increased the temperature of all the water in the city as well as the humidity in the air. The result? The storm that's already developing right here as we speak. It won't be long before the rain intensifies enough to breach the seawall protecting the city, and at that point, Whitegold City will flood completely! Everything and everyone will be destroyed, while my select few survive aboard my ark to head into a brand new world!"

"Have you no compassion in your heart at all?" Olivia had heard enough. Everton's horrifying ramblings had pushed her too far, and with all of this piling on the significant stress she already felt, she snapped. "Maybe you have a chip on your shoulder at someone in this city, Mister Woods maybe? It doesn't matter though, because if you have a problem with someone, you deal with it with that person! There are innocent men, women, children and Pokémon in this city that you have just threatened to kill! None of them have done anything to you, why, most of them probably don't even know much about you! They're all different, but one thing that they have in common is that they want to live! They want to live, and there's no excuse for you trying to make yourself the judge of who gets that right! Every one of them…"

"I've humored you long enough," Everton coldly interrupted. "Shut up. Whitegold City's residents disgust me and they always have. Gambling, drinking, partying… the moral failings of this filthy city have gone on long enough. I am the one who will purge deviancy from this planet once and for all. My world will be controlled and the behavior that goes on in this city will never be tolerated anywhere again."

"You? Purge deviancy from the world?" Matt had to bitterly laugh, but not fully because of how brazenly hypocritical Everton's claim was. The laugh was born instead from the complete crushing pressure laid upon all his other emotions at the time.

"How did you avoid making a specific contract?" Woods managed to choke out. It was a good question, but he was the first of the group to think of it; Rowena, specifically, mentally noted that she wished she had come up with it before anyone else.

"I suppose I owe you trash an answer on that, at least." Reaching up to his ear, Everton freed a thin headset and held it out for the group to see. It was so thin that it was nearly invisible when on his head, and it remained difficult to see in his hand due to the heavy rain. "This device connected me to the Dreamyarn Inceptor at my building."

"It had a second function?" gasped Rowena.

"So you did know about it… I thought you would. Well, the Dreamyarn Inceptor is a machine powered by the Pokémon Musharna. Musharna ate my thoughts before I entered the energy field with Victini and continued to do so until I fully acquired the Victory Star, therefore keeping my mind blank. With nothing in my mind, Victini could latch onto nothing to force a contract onto me! Now, one more time, I'll say it… give me Victini."

"Olivia…" Matt whispered without turning around. "Take Victini and go with the others. Get out of here while you still can."

"You're going to fight them alone?" Olivia was hesitant to accept this plan. She was smart enough to know that Matt stood no chance against Everton, Baker and Foster alone by himself, and that was a situation she couldn't leave him in.

"No, the ruffian is not alone, for I am going to fight alongside him."

Boldly stepping up to face the challenge of Everton's team, Katorena surprised Matt, Olivia and all of the others. She wore a look of sheer, fearless determination that reflected her refusal to fold before the threat posed by Everton and his allies.

"Katorena, what are you…"

"Silence, you scruffy vagabond. You're not refusing my help right now, when you need it more than ever."

Matt gulped, resigning himself to the fact that Katorena was going to risk herself to try and help him. He wouldn't accept the others placing themselves in harm's way, though, so he turned to them and yelled, "Take Victini and go! Get out of here now! Go somewhere safe!"

The situation was so serious that even Nekou listened to Matt immediately. She, along with Rowena, Woods, Olivia and Bunny fled with Victini in tow. They hurried to Woods's hovercraft and sped off further into the marsh.

"Hah!" Everton chuckled evilly. "Let them flee. Do any of you really think that it will make a difference?"

"We will stop you, vile man," Katorena warned, doing her best to sound threatening.

"Will you, now? Your futile resistance is amusing to me. Baker, Foster, go forth and battle them!"

"Yes, Captain Everton!" the two security officials chanted in unison, pointing forward to send Sawk and Throh into battle.

Saying nothing and remaining blank-faced, Matt reached into his bag for the Poké Ball he needed to sent out Ayingott, while Katorena flung out the ball containing Beheeyem. The two female Psychic Pokémon growled, eager to go at their Fighting-type opponents.

"Ayingott, Air Slash!"

"Sawk, use Strength on Beheeyem!"

Baker's Sawk pulled back his right arm and lowered his body, then sprinted through the rain toward Beheeyem, leaving clear footprints behind in the muddy ground. He was cut off when a blade of air Ayingott formed with her wings crashed down on him, knocking him back and making him flinch.

"That Sigilyph is open, Throh," Foster pointed out to his Pokémon. "Stone Edge!"

Dozens of sharp-edged pebbles appeared around Throh in a ring shape. He looked directly at Ayingott before pulling his arms back; when he thrust them forward, the stones flew through the air at their target.

"How boring. Psychic!"

Beheeyem held up both of her arms, allowing the red, green and yellow lights on her hands to flash. The psychic power she generated took hold on some of the stones and halted them from hitting Ayingott, effectively halving the injury the Sigilyph suffered; as for the stones that Beheeyem took control of, she used them to craft what functioned as psychic bombs she rained back down onto Throh. This left the stout red Fighting-type with cuts all over his body, including holes sliced into his robes.

"Now you're in my line of fire!" taunted Baker as he made the shape of a gun with his thumb, pointer and middle fingers on his right hand to gesture at Katorena. "Try Strength again!"

Because Ayingott was still shaking off her minor injuries from Throh's Stone Edge, she was unable to stop Sawk from running right up to Beheeyem. He punched her in the face, sending her crashing into the trunk of a nearby tree with a loud thud. The bark of the thin tree even cracked slightly from the impact.

"Give it up!" Everton shouted from just behind Baker and Foster as Beheeyem pulled herself up off the ground. "I can see the path to my victory, so it is impossible for you to stop m…"

"Gluhgug!"

Barely two seconds after the deep voice cut into the clearing, an unknown object struck the ground near Everton's group with such force that the three were thrown in differing directions. Matt didn't have to wonder for long what the source of the ambush was, as it came into view almost immediately.

"Hethna, you're back!" he sighed in relief upon seeing his Golurk flying overhead. The immense Ground-and-Ghost-type had used its Shadow Punch to stun Everton's group and buy its trainer time. Taking advantage of this opening, Matt pointed to Everton's abandoned hoverboard on the other side of the clearing and said, "Ayingott, use Psychic and bring that over here. Hurry!"

"Glyph!" Ayingott chirped in compliance, illuminating her eyes with her power.

The hoverboard had been knocked over onto its side when Hethna struck the ground with Shadow Punch. It rose up and floated toward Matt and Katorena just as Everton, Baker and Foster regained their composure, but by the time they were able to do something to stop its theft, it was out of reach.

"Katorena, let's go! We can't dawdle here anymore!"

"I'll trust your judgment this time, lout. Don't disappoint me."

Matt stepped onto the hoverboard's platform, and Katorena quickly jumped on as well, wrapping her arms around his midsection to brace herself. He wasted no time in lifting the hoverboard off the ground, and then piloted it off into the marsh in the same direction the others had gone earlier. Ayingott, Hethna and Beheeyem all followed.

Left behind with his bodyguards, Everton took several steps forward and simply stared out at the marshland.

"What should we do now, sir?" Foster shakily asked.

"You're lucky there is a now for you two at the moment," Everton growled. "I gave you a simple task, to take out those two punks, and you couldn't even manage that. They got away from you and stole something that belongs to me!"

"I'm sorry…"

"Shut up, Baker, I'm not interested in hearing your whine. Hmph… they think they've gotten away from me? I'll show them how wrong they really are. Foster, go get the helicopter and return to our base. I want you to collect Fennel, all her data and Musharna, then head to the ark and prepare for launch. Round up the sleeping Pokémon as well, because they will be valuable resources in the new world."

"Yes, my captain."

"What are my orders, sir?"

"I'm tempted to tell you to drive off a cliff, Baker, but I'll give you a chance to prove that you're still a worthwhile investment. Follow me in the truck and remain on standby for further orders."

While Baker watched in silence, Foster turned and jogged out of the clearing, and Everton climbed onto the back of his Hydreigon.

"Now, Victini, you will not escape me!"

-:-

Giovanni and Stacia stood side-by-side in front of a videophone screen in his office. The Gym Leader and secretive crime boss was connected on a call to another man, and appeared agitated from how he clenched his teeth.

"You're a difficult man to get ahold of, Tobias," Giovanni said, his voice lowering into a growl.

"I'm very busy," Tobias replied. When he moved his head, his long, flowing blue-gray hair shuddered subtly, with a thick lock of it settling over his left eye. "Obviously, you can understand, being in a similar position to me yourself. I'm taking time out of a very important meeting with Angel Corporation chairwoman Gabriella for this."

A middle-aged woman completely cloaked in vivid golden hair burst into the picture from the side of the screen. "Hi, Giovanni! Keeping busy?"

It was evident that Gabriella was avoiding Giovanni's recent legal troubles, so he did not bring them up himself. "Of course, Gabriella. Things are always busy here at Viridian Gym. Now, if you don't mind, I really need to talk to Tobias."

"Sorry!" Nodding profusely, Gabriella disappeared as quickly as she had entered.

"So what is this urgent emergency that you called me about?" Tobias inquired matter-of-factly. "I am expecting to hear something actually important."

"I'll cut right to the chase," responded the rigid-faced Giovanni. "I am sure that you have been following the events unfolding in Whitegold City today, Tobias."

"I'm aware of them, yes. What about it, though?"

"Have you checked the stock market today, then?" When Tobias didn't reply, Giovanni continued, "I've been watching the numbers for several hours now. Everything is going down dramatically except for shares in precious goods. Now tell me, is it not suspicious that all these things are happening on the very same day in conjunction with each other?"

"I agree that today is a peculiar day," Tobias concurred while shutting his one visible eye, "but I can't take action based on sheer speculation. What is it you expect me to do?"

"I think you should get in touch with officials over in Unova and at the Black City Exchange." Giovanni's tone changed slightly, reflective of the rising tension and anger he felt. The change was too subtle for Tobias to pick up on, but Stacia perceived it and cringed. "Have them check for any accounts in Liam Everton's name and what investments are on them. I strongly suspect he is causing the events in Whitegold City in order to manipulate the stock market and make a fortune in profit."

"I'll have to see what I can do."

The video cut out on Giovanni's end as Tobias abruptly terminated the call. Realizing just how pointless it likely was to appeal to the governor, who was someone he hated, Giovanni was overcome with a sudden fit of rage that drove him to pound his fist into the wall. Persian jumped up in shock from the sound that reverberated through the office and meowed loudly, but Stacia remained nearly completely still.

"Mister Giovanni," she said in a voice laced with eerie calm. Her face darkened and her glasses filled with light as she lowered her head slightly. "Would you like me to go to Whitegold City and deal with Everton?"

"That won't be necessary, Stacia. This incident has already gone long past the time for your skills. All we can do now is sit back and watch while we hope that Tobias figures out a way to do something."

-:-

Meanwhile, in his own office – very similar in appearance to Giovanni's, but noticeably higher-tech – Tobias stood staring at the blank videophone screen for several moments before turning around. The red half-cape that hung on his shoulders ruffled subtly over his tight gray suit as he moved.

"You know more about what's going on in Whitegold City than you told him, don't you?" questioned Gabriella, who was sitting in an ornate chair in front of Tobias's desk.

"I've been had. Everton told me he was going to research a new energy source, but he never specified what it was. I was stupid to trust him… Giovanni's suggestion is sound. I must do something to reverse the mistake I've made."

-:-

With Matt and Katorena now aboard, Everton's hoverboard glided over the marsh water at a high speed. Hethna and Ayingott flew alongside it, just able to keep up. Beheeyem, meanwhile, had to hang onto Hethna's back because of her lack of actual flight skills.

Ordinarily it would have been easy for anyone, especially a newcomer, to get lost in the labyrinth of the marsh's offshoots, but with the hoverboard at his disposal, Matt had access to one of Everton's most convenient tools. The map of Whitegold City installed into the dashboard provided a convenient resource on the routes they needed to follow, and the sensor of Victini's heat signature made it possible to follow where the others had gone.

"Do you know where they're going yet?" Katorena had to strain to raise her voice over the wind and rain buffeting her and Matt, while still maintaining her grip around his torso.

Matt looked down at the map and pondered briefly where it appeared that Nekou, Bunny, Olivia, Woods, Rowena and Victini were going. Almost immediately the answer came to him. "We're heading for the home of Aurelie the fortuneteller. I'm beginning to think that may be the one safe place left in this city."

"Nowhere is safe for you!"

Matt and Katorena nearly fell off the hoverboard in terrified shock when Everton roared up alongside them on his Hydreigon, shoving Hethna and Ayingott out of his way as he did so. The increasingly harsh weather didn't faze him at all; in fact, he almost seemed invigorated by every drop of water that made contact with him. Sanity was visibly fading fast from his eyes, his irises and pupils narrowing while the eyelids around them twitched.

"Damn it!" Matt choked out. He didn't have time for an emotional reaction to the continuing struggle, however – he quickly realized that Everton was guiding Hydreigon to ram the hoverboard with the clear intent of downing it. "Katorena, hold on!"

By pulling back on the hoverboard's control handles, Matt was able to abruptly pull the craft upward, enabling a last-second escape from Hydreigon's attack. Katorena screamed, despite realizing that the alternative of the maneuver was much worse.

Together, they mutually realized that Everton was indeed right about one thing – nowhere was safe. Escape was impossible. Accepting and resigning himself to this reality, Matt made mental preparations for an aerial fight.

"Ayingott, put him down quickly!" he yelled out to his Pokémon in the storm as he stabilized the hoverboard. Delegating the responsibility of defeating Everton and Hydreigon to his Sigilyph, Matt gave the order, "Ice Beam!"

"Do you really think that feeble attack will be enough to stop me?" Everton taunted, pulling his own Pokémon back slightly. "Hydreigon, use Tri Attack!"

Ayingott's one shot of ice energy was met by a triple counterattack made up of three rays; Hydreigon's left and right heads launched electricity and ice respectively, while his central head added fire to the mix. The three blasts easily overpowered the single one opposing them and plowed into Ayingott.

"Sigilll…" she squalled weakly as her burned body fell from the sky.

Gritting his teeth, Matt decided that he would not let Everton harm his Pokémon further, and pulled out a Poké Ball. "Ayingott, come back now! Have a rest!"

"That was a smart move, boy!" Everton menacingly bellowed as the Sigilyph was pulled back to the relative safety of her ball. "You two no longer have Victini with you, so I don't need to concern myself with preserving you any further. All you two are is a pair of speed bumps to me. Hydreigon, finish them off!"

Opening the mouth of his central head wide, Hydreigon began gathering the energy for a Focus Blast attack. He was not particularly fast about it, which afforded Matt and Katorena the chance to reposition themselves outside of his targeting range.

However, just before the pulsing red orb was loosed by the dragon, Everton called out, "Victory Star!"

The Focus Blast was fired, and it missed Matt and Katorena by a wide margin. Instead of careening out of control into the ground like one would have expected, however, it curved around and began going back up toward its target from behind.

"Aww hell…"

"What is this right debacle?" Katorena shrilled, still holding onto Matt for dear life as he attempted to fly away from the Focus Blast. Neither of them could believe what they were seeing.

The pair were only saved when Hethna rocketed into the way and intercepted the attack, which did not affect it at all. Still, though, Everton laughed at the courage exhibited by the Ground-and-Ghost-type.

"My Victory Star not only allows me to see my road to victory, it makes sure my Pokémon will be victorious as well. Your Golurk's feeble resistance has done nothing but ensure its fate before even your own!"

Removing his focus from Matt and Katorena, Hydreigon turned his attention to Hethna. The energy of Dragon Pulse took shape near his center head's mouth and swiftly grew in intensity, burning away every drop of rain that hit it in a tiny burst of steam.

"Brick Break, now!" Matt desperately cried out. He could see that the only chance he had was to stop Everton's attacks before they could be executed. Even if it was only a narrow opening, he had to take it.

Hethna deactivated the rocket in its right arm and returned its hand to its place. It then cut through the downpour on its remaining two rockets with a powerful punch readied. Though the situation was overwhelmingly dangerous and the attack incredibly risky, Hethna followed through with undying loyalty. Likewise, Hydreigon showed his master that same stiff allegiance, and hovered still in the path of Hethna's swing, not backing down from his Dragon Pulse.

With neither Pokémon backing down, Hethna used its Brick Break to strike Hydreigon's Dragon Pulse. Because it was unfinished, Hydreigon's energy blast was still highly unstable, and it exploded upon being hit.

Leaves from the nearby trees flew everywhere as Hethna and Hydreigon were pushed back. Everton gripped the back of his dragon's neck to hold on, while Hethna fell down near the ground before managing to launch back up again. A circle was blasted out of the underbrush where Hethna powered up its rockets, but the small fires that ignited were quickly snuffed out by the rain.

Hethna refused to fail in the struggle, and thus blitzed Hydreigon again, this time without orders to do so. This time it tried to restrain the Dark-and-Dragon-type by grabbing hold of his two undeveloped side heads. It worked as a surprise tactic to a degree; Hydreigon began thrashing, unsure at first how to handle the restraint placed on its extremities. The two Pokémon spun in an intense midair dance, moving violently enough to throw Katorena's Beheeyem off of Hethna's back. Luckily, Matt was able to fly the hoverboard into a position where Katorena could catch her Pokémon with her arm before she fell.

"Beheeyem, are you injured?" Katorena tenderly whispered, showing concern for her Pokémon that belied the stuffy attitude she usually directed at others. She smiled faintly when Beheeyem nodded in affirmation of her safety.

"I've had enough of you, Matt Chiaki!" Everton yelled, breaking up the odd calmness of the scene. "Hydreigon, dispose of this pest Golurk!"

Pulling his center head up and away from Hethna, Hydreigon expelled a stream of fire from his mouth, completely engulfing the Golurk at point-blank range. It was pulled off of its opponent by this Flamethrower attack and significantly weakened, being sent plummeting downward with burns all over its gray body.

"Hethna!" Matt cried out, his hand immediately going to the Poké Ball his Golurk belonged in. Before Hethna could hit the ground, its trainer made sure it was pulled back into the confines of the ball, which would ensure its safety.

However, that insurance came with a price. By making sure that Hethna would remain safe, Matt had removed from the equation the last defense he and Katorena had standing between themselves and Everton's Hydreigon. It was a price he was willing to pay for the security of something important to him, but even with that, Matt still shivered when Hydreigon assumed an even level with the hoverboard in the air.

"Are you finished yet, boy?" taunted Everton, who was overwhelmingly ready to claim his final victory over Matt's efforts. "I'd say you are. Now, it's time you stopped standing in the way of the future of energy and this planet! Have you got any last words?"

"I do," Katorena suddenly interrupted, tossing Beheeyem upward. "Beheeyem, Hypnosis!"

Stabilizing in the air about a foot above the heads of Matt and Katorena, Beheeyem locked her gaze with Hydreigon's. Then, while the lights on her fingers flashed, waves of purple energy floated out of her eyes. Hydreigon instantly became drowsy and fell asleep, causing him to fall from the sky; this sudden turn of events left an angered Everton to deftly jump off of his Pokémon's back before he crashed on the swamp bank.

"Good thinking, Katorena!" Matt hastily complimented to express his gratitude for her actions.

"Don't waste time groveling at my feet," she scolded in response while calling Beheeyem back to her Poké Ball. "We must reunite with the others in our group at once! Make haste!"

From his vantage point on the muddy bank of the marsh, Everton watched in seething silence as Matt and Katorena disappeared from view on their stolen hoverboard, heading off deeper into the swamps to join up with Rowena, Woods and the others. That was where Victini was too, and Everton knew he had to get there somehow. He simply clenched his fist tightly, only stopping when he heard the sound of a truck engine followed by hurried footsteps.

"Captain Everton, are you alright?" Baker choked as he burst from the foliage, soaked from the rain. "What's happened?"

Suddenly relaxing, Everton chuckled. He recalled the still-sleeping Hydreigon to his Ultra Ball, then answered Baker's question. "That bitch with the royal attitude pulled a fast one on me and managed to put Hydreigon to sleep. It doesn't matter, though. If they think they've won, I pity them."

**END of CHAPTER 3**


	5. Everton's Dream

**CHAPTER 4**: Everton's Dream

-:-

An old coffee cup, yellowed from years of use, sat on the desk in the dilapidated lab. The research facility's location was unknown, but no matter where it was, it would have appeared in bad shape compared to other buildings. Wood paneling lined the walls, but was cracking and peeling off in places, and the red curtains covering the windows were riddled with tears and holes. Some of the ceiling tiles were even missing, allowing wires to hang down sloppily over the room. Just about the only thing not in disrepair was the scientific equipment itself – the computers, microscopes, test tubes and other implements were all spotless, clearly from having been kept lovingly well.

A nearby door creaked open, and the owner of the laboratory entered. It was Giovanni's underling, Doctor Gabriel Zager, and he'd gone out for a short walk after speaking to his boss. As he discarded his bright yellow knit cap and thick brown coat onto a small table next to the door, a large yellow-and-blue spider Pokémon covered in hair skittered cheerfully up to him. All six of her eyes, even including the four simpler ones on her forehead, communicated the happiness she felt at Zager's return.

"I'm glad to be back too, Galvantula," Zager said in a polite manner. He patted Galvantula's head and added, "Have you done a good job watching my lab while I was out?"

"Tula! Tula!" Galvantula happily responded. She gripped Zager's arm with her mandibles when he tried to lift it in an attempt to keep him from stopping petting her.

"Now, now, Galvantula, you've got to let me get back to my work. Giovanni is counting on me to keep all the Whitegold City data in line."

Apparently understanding, Galvantula relented and released Zager's arm. He walked over to the computer console where the coffee cup was sitting, sat down and sipped the still-hot drink, then pressed a key on the wide keyboard before him to bring up his thermal imaging and weather radar maps of Whitegold City on the console's large screen.

One item in particular caught Zager's attention immediately – a simulation of the worsening storm over the city and the potential effects of its growth. What he saw alarmed him, and he had to put down the coffee cup before the tension he was overcome by made him drop it.

"I've… never seen anything like this before," Zager said aloud, though only Galvantula was sharing the room with him. "Mister Giovanni is going to have to do something right away."

With much on his mind, Zager set about his work, typing busily on the console's keyboard.

-:-

"What's going on? Let go of me!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that. Captain Everton's orders."

Foster had Fennel firmly in his grasp by her left wrist as he led her toward the elevator out of her basement laboratory. Nestled under her right arm was a laptop computer containing all the data on the Dreamyarn Inceptor, dumped from the building's mainframe servers.

"Fine, don't let go of me, then!" Looking back, Fennel desperately pleaded with Foster, "But please, don't hurt Musharna!"

Nearby, Foster's Throh had Musharna ensnared within a ball-shaped capsule he was carrying. Throh wasn't actually trying actively to cause Musharna any pain, but the Psychic-type Pokémon writhed inside her prison anyway. Seeing this caused Fennel to become overwhelmed with worry for the safety of her beloved friend.

"I told you," Foster stated flatly, "I have no reason to want to hurt you. I'm just doing my job. Captain Everton's given me the order to clear you and your data out and get you to a safe location, so that's what I have to do."

"A… safe location? Just what is Everton planning? Why am I important to it? Hasn't he held me hostage here long enough?"

The barrage of questions Fennel unloaded on Foster would have annoyed Baker or Everton enough to prompt a violent response, but luckily for her, Foster had enough patience to field the queries.

Unfortunately, however, he could only sigh and answer, "You're valuable to Everton's plan. He doesn't want to let you go yet."

"He promised he'd let me go when the Dreamyarn Inceptor was finished!" Fennel shrilled, desperate tears of terror welling up in her eyes. "I already sent the sleeping Pokémon where you told me, too!"

"Look, Dr. Fennel… I can't give you any more information because I don't have any more. Please, just calm down and cooperate."

Fennel was able to see that she would not be escaping from the situation no matter how much she pleaded with Foster, even if he was sympathetic to her. She simply went silent, with her face and eyes turning red, and dejectedly followed Foster and his Throh to the elevator.

-:-

The storm was continuing its gradual intensification as Matt and Katorena arrived at Aurelie's home, however, it was not the harsh rain that was weighing the most on Matt's mind. As he guided the hoverboard to land on the muddy ground, he knew that Everton would not be far behind, meaning they could not stay in one place for long.

"What a foul mess!" Katorena exclaimed. Her feet were sinking slightly into the mud, causing her shoes to get dirty. Even though Matt's dress shoes were actually nicer than her casual footwear, she was the one to be bothered.

"Now is not the time!" Matt scolded her. "We have bigger things to worry about than keeping our shoes clean!"

The door on Aurelie's house swung open with a loud crash, and the old fortuneteller came charging out. She skidded to a stop on her porch and caught her breath with long, labored gasps.

"You kids shouldn't be out in this storm!" she harshly groaned, struggling to keep up her energy. "Hurry, get inside!"

Without a word, Matt seized Katorena's arm and pulled her up into Aurelie's home. Katorena didn't speak either, but she did pull against Matt's grip and try to get free.

Nevertheless, they ended up inside the dark interior of Aurelie's house once more. Nothing had changed, and the environment was as oddly unsettling as ever. A sudden flash of lightning outside cast a light throughout the dwelling that didn't help matters any.

As Matt and Katorena followed Aurelie into her main room, they discovered Nekou, Bunny, Olivia, Rowena, Woods and Victini there already. All looked rather somber, though they had had a short time to dry out a bit.

"I guess they didn't die out there in the storm after all," Nekou mumbled sarcastically, apparently addressing Olivia.

"And I thought my dad was a fish," Olivia added before giggling nervously.

"How about you two calm down and catch me up on what's going on?" As he spoke, Matt sat down on a nearby chair and stretched his limbs in an attempt to relax a little.

"Matt, Katorena, you're both alright!"

Two pairs of wide, surprised eyes greeted Diane and Butler as they entered the room from an adjoining room together. They too carried themselves with a palpable, serious focus, standing rigidly in front of the doorway they'd just passed through.

"Diane, you and Butler got out of the stadium?" Matt said, his voice reflecting how little he expected their appearance. "How, though?"

"We actually followed you," Butler explained. "My Mightyena followed your scent to the maintenance hall you exited through."

"What's going on outside?" Diane added, her voice quivering. "Someone needs to just explain what is happening in Whitegold City today…"

"Liam Everton was after Victini, and…"

"We already told them that part," Bunny interrupted Matt to say. "What happened after we left?"

"Well, my Golurk, Hethna, came back from New Bark Town just in time to help fight Everton, but even with its help, we couldn't overpower his Hydreigon."

"My dear Beheeyem managed to put that foul dragon to sleep," Katorena chimed in, the pride in her voice not being masked very well.

"So we battled him even as we tried to flee here after stealing his hoverboard. What we've learned is that he is so single-mindedly after Victini that he no longer wanted to keep us alive once we didn't have it."

"I knew something terrible was going to happen in this city," voiced Aurelie, attracting the others' attention. She walked back into the room with her Gothitelle following behind, carrying a crystal ball on a pillow in her tiny purple hands. The two came to stand behind a table with a blue, star-lined sheet draped on it, at which point Aurelie took the crystal ball from Gothitelle and set it down on the desk. "Whitegold City is a place steeped in tradition and folklore, and behind every tale is a piece of this city's soul. Gothitelle and I are connected to that soul, enabling us to read it like the soul of a living thing."

"Fascinating…" While listening to and absorbing Aurelie's explanation of her powers, Olivia simply stared at her, enthralled by her words and their meaning.

"Your powers aren't too different from the ability of Transcendence used by some Tenganist priestesses," Bunny realized aloud. "From your description of what you can do, it resembles the powers I've read about."

Though she remained silent, Nekou was also quite clearly drawn into the conversation. Unusually for her, she was sitting calmly and attentively, treating the words of those around her just like they were a book.

Matt, on the other hand, had something to add. "Don't forget Sheena. I used to be close friends with a modern-day Tenganist priestess, so I think I know exactly what you mean."

"That is because the Tenganists and the People of the Vale of modern times share common ancestry," the fortuneteller revealed to her audience. "Both groups are of heavily spiritual descent. That spirituality simply manifested itself differently between the two. Now, let me have a look at what the city will tell me about the events of today that are yet to happen."

Aurelie spread her hands over the crystal ball and focused her mind, drawing out a power that manifested itself as a glowing black light from the orb. Within the sphere, a cloudy image gradually cleared itself up to reveal itself to the observers in the room.

Inside Aurelie's crystal ball, Everton could be seen standing alongside his Klinklang and Cryogonal as well as Baker's Sawk. He had his hand tucked into his pocket and was talking to someone, though whoever it was was outside of view.

"It looks like we fight him again," Bunny astutely observed. "We should have expected as much."

Suddenly noticing something worrying in the image, Matt leaned forward, closer to the sphere. "Look at where this seems to be happening. That's…"

When Matt abruptly interrupted himself to turn and run for the door, it alarmed the others. Olivia was the first to rise and follow him, calling his name in a hopeless attempt to pull him back. She didn't understand what was going on, but Nekou and Rowena did see the same thing he saw in the crystal ball, and immediately left in pursuit. Bunny, Katorena, Woods, Aurelie, Butler and Diane all followed, out of reflex.

They found Matt standing on the front porch of Aurelie's home, staring out at the clearing in front of her house while frozen in fear, and quickly gathered around him.

The cause of his uncertainty became clear to each and every one of them. Standing there in the clearing, his hand in his pocket just like in the crystal ball's prediction, was Everton. From the way he held himself, it did not seem as if the vicious rainstorm bothered him in the least. His hair blew in the wind, and Klinklang and Cryogonal floated on either side of him while Sawk stood nearby. Behind him, meanwhile, Baker stood near their truck.

"You're a hard man to find, Matt Chiaki," he said mockingly. He then pointed at Olivia, or more specifically, Victini in her arms. "I think your little troublemaker has something that belongs to me. Give it up."

"Why shou…"

"Excuse me, HIS little troublemaker?" Not only did Matt visibly jump when he was interrupted, Olivia's brash episode of lashing out noticeably shocked even Liam Everton, who stepped back in surprise. "Let me tell you two things, you jerk. One, I'm not anyone's troublemaker, and two, if I was, the one whose troublemaker I was abandoned me!"

"Olivia…" Knowing that Olivia's outburst was over her father made it hurt Matt twice as much. It was bad enough that she was directly putting him down, but he could feel her pain over the absence of her beloved father as well.

Nekou, on the other hand, simply pushed up her glowing glasses on her face. She masked her pride in Olivia with a simple remark, "I see someone learned just how much of a weapon her mouth is."

"You're quite the little firebrand, aren't you?" It took a moment for Everton to regain his composure, but when he did, his overconfidence returned. "I don't have time to deal with any of you any further. Klinklang, Cryogonal, Sawk, go forth!"

As the trio of Pokémon in Everton's employ moved in on Matt's group, Matt himself froze once more. He realized a dangerous truth – of his six Pokémon, only Tanya was still in a battle-ready state. Hethna and Ayingott had been injured just earlier in the fight with Everton's Hydreigon, while Subzero was newly evolved and not ready for a fight like this. Matt also had a Reuniclus with him, but it had been badly injured in the battle of Argyros Town mere days earlier, and Matt was trying to let them rest. Agnetha, meanwhile, was worn from battling with Katorena the previous day. Even though two of Everton's three Pokémon would be weak to her, Matt knew that with just Tanya alone, he stood no chance against them as a team.

Taking a nervous step back, Matt said quietly to Bunny, "I'm going to need you to take care of this…"

"I'll have to do my best. Sky, Balin, Kayla, come out!"

The three Poké Balls thrown by Bunny released three very different Pokémon. Sky and Balin, her male Drifblim and Ninetales, contrasted strongly with each other; whereas the former had a bulbous and rubbery body colored in mostly hues of purple and blue, the latter cut a dashing figure with his foxlike body and nine flowing tails, all covered in luxurious golden fur. Kayla, her Mienshao, also was rather unique in her appearance. Her lithe weasel-like body, colored mostly light pink, granted her outgrowths of fur on her arms that were similar to whips, along with a thin, purple-tipped tail and whiskers ending similarly in yellow.

"Klinklang, Flash Cannon!" Everton commanded, waving his hand in a dramatic sweeping motion. "Cryogonal, use Frost Breath! Sawk, Low Sweep!"

Cryogonal moved swiftly into an attacking position, forcing Bunny to realize that she had to think quickly. Pressure on her came not only from the evil man facing her down and his Pokémon, but also from her perception of her friends standing behind her, who were counting on her to win.

"Balin, hit Cryogonal with Flame Burst!"

Bunny's attack order came too late to stop the chilled air Cryogonal exhaled from sweeping over Sky in a super-effective hit which made him groan and start shivering. Despite that, when Balin expelled a dense fireball from his mouth, it struck Cryogonal with enough explosive force to throw the snowflake-shaped Pokémon back by almost eight feet. Cryogonal's significant defensive power against special attacks and the intense rainstorm were the only reasons it didn't suffer critical damage.

"Now, Kayla, it's your turn! Use Hi Jump Kick against Klinklang!"

In order to charge up the energy needed for its Flash Cannon, Klinklang had begun rotating the gears comprising its body at a more rapid rate, and now it had the power it needed. A blast of silvery light shot out of the gray circle in the center of the smaller gear at the Steel-type's middle. Before it could hit, however, Kayla jumped out of the way, causing Klinklang's Flash Cannon to impact the ground to no further effect than singeing the grass. She landed right in front of Klinklang and then sprang up a second time, striking the spiked rim around its body with her knee.

With Klinklang being repelled back, Sawk sprang out from the sidelines and immediately took Balin in his sights. He made a beeline straight for the Fire-type, his gaze locked onto her spindly legs. Balin's legs were quite the inviting target, especially for a Pokémon that liked to fight dirty as much as Sawk had learned to, so he altered his charge into a sliding kick meant to undercut Balin's stance.

"Shadow Ball!"

One disadvantage of Sawk's bold attack strategy was that he was wide open to being interrupted, and that was exactly what happened. Having sufficiently recovered from the bone-chilling effects of Cryogonal's Frost Breath, Sky flew right in between Sawk and Balin and formed a sphere of dark energy in front of himself.

Sawk saw the Shadow Ball blocking his way but couldn't get out of the attempted Low Sweep, and he ended up crashing right into it. The resulting explosion didn't hurt Sky in the least, but Sawk went backflipping through the air to right back where he started.

"Well done, Bunny, you're fighting well," Matt complimented, much to his friend's appreciation. Turning toward the relentless antagonist they faced, his tone became a lot less composed as he said, "Everton, you must stop this! What would even possess someone to do such things?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Everton answered with a hint of sarcasm, spreading his arms as he spoke. "Just like anyone who wants to do anything, this is my dream!"

"You're kidding, right?" Olivia angrily countered, not finished with her earlier rant. "A dream is something someone has that is dear to them, something that is the most important thing in their life! Like, for example, my dream is to find my dad and tell him just what I think about his abandoning me. That's a dream. What are you doing, exactly? Committing mass murder against an entire city? You call that a dream?"

Matt had his own feelings about Olivia's anger, but his sadness for her and disappointment in himself had to wait. Everton, who was the direct target of the outburst, reacted in a way that was quite surprising to all opposing him – he actually tensed and moved back slightly, while gritting his teeth in rage.

"I'll tell you, you little brat…" he seethed, his glare becoming unfocused as he got caught up in his own emotion. "That's what I was raised to know… believe in your goals and anything becomes possible… that's what my grandfather told me…"

"You're on that still?" gasped Woods, immediately realizing he knew what Everton was talking about. "Now I understand it… all those times you spoke of accomplishing the dream Becket gave you, it was this you meant, wasn't it?"

"Now you understand. At the end, you finally understand… since that night when I was just a mere pup of eleven, when my grandfather told me of Victini…"

~:~

One year after the naval disaster that only Becket Everton and Woods survived with the help of Victini and the newly-transformed Cresselia, the beginnings of the dreadful fate in the future were beginning to take shape.

The elder Everton sat at the bedside of his then-young grandson Liam, holding his weathered captain's log while the boy stared at him with wide, bright eyes. The room was filled with naval equipment, books and charts, all reflective of Liam Everton's interest in them even at the age of eleven. A calendar on his desk revealed the date – July 19, 1963.

"Victini is the most inspiring Pokémon I have ever found, and that is why I am honored to have it as my partner aboard my ship. The warmth radiating from Victini… it is Victini's power, the Victory Star. The power to find any single victory so desired by the power's user. Oh Victory Star, shine the light on the path I must take to my dreams. Victini, turn my road into one of fortune…"

"Your stories are always so exciting, grandpa!" exclaimed the young Liam Everton.

"The story is true," Becket wistfully replied. "Victini and I had many glorious adventures on the seas of the world for years, even if those days are over now. But, don't be discouraged, Liam. Perhaps if you believe in yourself when you inherit the family business, you too can come to be blessed by the light of Victini's power. All you have to do is dream and believe it to be possible, and you can accomplish anything you set out to do."

~:~

"…after that night, I often dreamt of obtaining Victini and the Victory Star, both during the day and at night. It became my life's goal, and just like I was told, I believe I'll win, which means I will!"

"You know that's not what your grandfather meant!" Matt shouted back. Sick from hearing Everton's excuses to justify it all, he finally was running out of patience and snapping. "He's probably spinning in his grave right now!"

"Silence, you ignorant fool! Klinklang, shut him up!"

Taking Matt in its sights, Everton's Klinklang began charging up energy for another Flash Cannon attack. Before it could fire, however, Matt was surprised by Aurelie's Gothitelle floating over his head, nearly knocking him over in the process.

"Gothitelle, Charge Beam!"

Showing surprising boldness and courage in jumping into battle, Aurelie's Gothitelle brought her hands together, allowing a bolt of electricity to shoot out of them and into Klinklang. The energy overwhelmed Klinklang's body, cutting short its Flash Cannon.

"You won't get away with this…" snarled Everton. "Cryogonal, punish that thing! Acrobatics!"

In the blink of an eye, Cryogonal tore through the air with a shrill cry, tackling Gothitelle back into a supporting column of the house before it could even be seen. The wood cracked from the impact, even though Gothitelle wasn't extremely heavy, and she fell to the ground with a loud thump.

"Gothitelle!" Aurelie howled, rushing as quickly as she could to the side of her fallen friend. "I'm sorry I made you fight," she said sorrowfully while helping Gothitelle stand back up.

There was no time for the group to lick their collective wounds, as literally seconds later, Sawk was back in the fight. With his right hand upturned, glowing purple and cocked back for a stabbing motion, he had Olivia and Victini in his sights.

"Olivia, watch out!"

Though Nekou threw herself in the direction of Sawk's Poison Jab's trajectory, her movement had been too sluggish. There was no way she could have reached a point in between Olivia and Sawk in time. Around them, Matt, Bunny, Rowena, Woods, Aurelie, Butler and Diane could all only watch in helpless horror as the Fighting-type Pokémon closed in on his target.

Things would not end that simply, however.

Before Sawk had drawn within arm's length of Olivia and Victini, the small-statured Psychic-and-Fire-type floated up out of her grasp. After pitching a shrill scream into the sky, it unleashed a Psyshock attack. Bolts of glittering silver light flowed from Victini's eyes and into Sawk's body, stunning him in midair; he convulsed for several seconds before physical damage became apparent on his being, from gashes and bruises on his blue body to cuts in his robes.

Sawk was eventually thrown back by Victini's Psyshock. As he skidded through the mud, Klinklang floated ahead to take his place, and without an order, the Steel-type aimed its Flash Cannon at Victini.

Victini escaped the Flash Cannon by flying out of the way, and barely got away from the main force of it. The light cut Victini's foot, but it made it through with just a wince.

"Tiiiiniiiii!" it cried after turning around to face Klinklang. With its stunned audience looking on, Victini became shrouded in a cloud of steam generated from the rain water hitting its heated body. Despite that rain, a giant fireball entrapped within two opposite orbital rings formed over Victini's head.

By waving its finger, Victini brought down this unusual and catastrophically powerful move down upon Klinklang, sending the Steel-type Pokémon flying through the air, right past its dumbfounded trainer, until it hit a nearby tree.

Everton only looked back at his stunned Klinklang for a brief moment. His reaction to Victini's sudden and violent counterattack was completely devoid of anything resembling pity or concern for his own Pokémon, instead being fueled by surprise and jealousy over Victini's strength.

"Don't think you can escape me! My victory is at hand! Cryogonal, cut it down, now!"

Cryogonal made use of the sharp edges around its body to enhance its power when it used Acrobatics. In addition, before directly attacking, it grabbed hold of another tree using one of its ice chains and swung around in a circle on it, building up momentum for when it tackled Victini at incredibly high speed.

Being struck sent Victini spinning higher into the air above the clearing. However, it caught itself and managed to stop its out-of-control course, then growled forcefully as its vicious lashing out continued. A pair of intercrossing rings composed of blue electricity formed around Victini's body, which soon began exuding a vast excess of this same power. Using all of this electrical energy, Victini fought back against Cryogonal by returning the tackle, smashing the shiny-bodied Ice-type into the tree right next to Klinklang.

"Victini, you're amazing!" Olivia beamed excitedly to the Pokémon, who had returned to floating near her. "I never guessed you had such powers!"

"I never knew either…" Woods mumbled, "…those attacks looked like Fusion Flare and Fusion Bolt, the signature moves of Reshiram and Zekrom… did Becket help you learn those?"

"We don't have time now!" interrupted Butler. He knew that despite the fact that Sawk, Klinklang and Cryogonal had presently been neutralized, Everton was still a threat, and the looming danger posed by the storm needed to be resolved as well. "Gardevoir, come out and Teleport us to a safe place!"

Events were beginning to progress too quickly for anyone to keep up with. While Matt barely managed to register that Butler was sending out Gardevoir to Teleport the group to safety, Olivia was completely overwhelmed and no longer had any idea what was going on. Butler's Gardevoir produced a bright flash of light immediately upon being released, enveloping the entire clearing in its blinding glow.

Once it faded, only Everton, Baker, their Pokémon and the truck remained. Butler's Gardevoir had used her power to transport herself and her trainer along with Matt, Nekou, Olivia, Bunny, Victini, Diane, Katorena, Rowena, Woods, Aurelie, Gothitelle, Sky, Balin and Kayla away to safety. The hoverboard Matt had stolen from Everton also was taken away by the Teleport.

Everton was visibly confused by this turn of events and stepped forward as he looked around, his foot squishing down into the soft, muddy ground.

"I don't understand," he said to Baker, without turning around to face the henchman. "Where did they go?"

"Couldn't you use the Victory Star to find them?" suggested Sawk's trainer while he recalled his weakened Fighting-type to his Poké Ball.

"Capital idea! I'll find out right where they've gone… Victory Star!"

The shining depths reflective of the Victory Star's power returned to Everton's left eye when he activated the ability once again. He doubled over in order to fight off the headaches using the Victory Star brought him, but those were a price he'd long decided to pay in exchange for such an awesome power.

Inside his vision, however, he did not see a clear location as he expected. Instead, Everton saw himself riding in the truck with Baker, operating his ultra-thin laptop computer. The thermal radar of Whitegold City could be seen on its screen.

At that point, the vision ended, and Everton slowly straightened up while gasping for breath. "The path… to victory… the path is a little less direct. We must simply monitor for Victini's heat signature right now. Wherever they've gone, it's some place where we would have too hard a time following. They have to come out of hiding eventually."

"Let's get back into the truck, then! This rain is getting to be too much!"

"Agreed, Baker."

Before he headed for Baker's vehicle, Everton stopped briefly to return Klinklang and Cryogonal to their Ultra Balls. Once he had done that, he walked across the clearing with wide steps, reaching the truck in no time. He pulled the right-hand passenger-side door open and entered, only closing the door once he had sat down on one of the seats, which were made of a heavy rubber-like material.

"So what do we do now?" Baker questioned in earnest. "Where do we go?"

Everton did not answer at first. He instead stared out the windshield at the storm, which was pelting the glass with a steady, relentless downpour so powerful that windshield wipers would have trouble clearing it. The sound of the raindrops striking the transparent surface, coupled with the ripples a steady rainfall created as the water flowed downward, relaxed him. Even though his plans were going perfectly, he knew himself that he was becoming too intensely engrossed in them, and so the mental breather was appreciated.

"We'll just wait for Victini's heat signature to return," Everton finally said, his anger subdued into a menacing calm. He took out his laptop and began booting it up while continuing, "They went somewhere where Victini's heat signature isn't detectable, if I'm interpreting the path to my victory correctly."

"We don't have tons of time left," Baker reminded his boss. "The plan must be complete before the storm causes the gates to reach the critical point."

"They're on the same clock I am. If they want to survive, they have to come out of hiding eventually, before time runs out." Suddenly remembering something, Everton reached for a transmitter attached by a cord to the dashboard of the truck, held it up to his mouth, and pushed in the button on the silvery-colored device's side. "Mr. Foster, come in. This is Captain Liam Everton."

"Foster here!" replied a crackling, static-distorted voice from the other side of the radio. "Captain Everton, what is it?"

"What is the status of the order you were given?"

"Dr. Fennel and Musharna have been moved to the ark, while all of her data has been dumped onto the ark's servers. Of course, that includes the sleeping Pokémon."

"Well done, Foster. What is your current location?"

"Whitegold Harbor, sir."

"Very good. Wait there. Baker and I are heading your way to pick you up." Hanging up the transmitter, Everton said to Baker, "You heard me, we're heading to the harbor to get Foster. Get going."

Baker had no words to give back to his superior, so he simply pressed several buttons in the dashboard's control panel, turning on the truck's lights and windshield wipers to their highest settings. With their lights cutting through the stormy murk like two beacons and the windshield being kept desperately and barely clear by the furiously-moving wipers, the Humvee from Everton International set off on its mission.

-:-

Giovanni sat at his desk, staring into the screen of his computer. A live video stream displaying Dr. Zager in his lab was visible on it, but Giovanni seemed to almost be looking past him.

"Go over it again, Gabriel." Giovanni's command wasn't as forceful as his orders usually were. His voice cracked while he spoke, indicative of the growing nervousness in the pit of his stomach. "I want to make sure I've got the whole thing understood."

"Well, Giovanni, sir…" The burden of explaining the emergency to his boss overwhelmed Zager, forcing him to cough and clear his throat before continuing. "The intensifying storm over Whitegold City is on track to begin disrupting the weather on a global scale. There is not an exact reason that is clear to me for why this is, but Whitegold City's position right on a critical point in the jet stream causes it to make some logical sense. Unfortunately, however, it appears that the contextual amount of time we're looking at for this scenario is hours, and not a lot of them at that. I can't understand why this storm is growing so violent so quickly… no existing data shows any precedent for a weather pattern like this."

Giovanni ran his hand down his face to release his dismay. Under his guidance, Team Rocket had undertaken experiments with potentially world-changing consequences before, but one thing he always tried to remember was to not do anything that could lead to the destruction of the world. That wasn't the goal of his organization or Giovanni himself. What they aimed for was merely profit through the manipulation and control of the world's functions, and for that to succeed, they had to make sure society's way of life remained preserved.

"What are we potentially looking at if the worst-case scenario unfolds?" he finally inquired.

Zager's face darkened, the shadows calling attention to the grave alarm the unfolding disaster instilled in him. "Catastrophic shifts in the global weather pattern. We will soon see hurricanes happening completely out of season, tornadoes all over the world, illogical snow, rain, drought… it will be complete chaos, a change in the planet that mankind has never seen before."

"I was afraid of that," Giovanni admitted, leaning forward in such a way that his clasped hands covered his mouth from sight. "For now, Gabriel, monitor what the public notices about this incident. If the government cannot do anything to soothe public worry, we may have to take action."

"Understood, sir."

Once Zager disappeared from Giovanni's computer, the office was eerily silent. With his hands tied by the actions of the government and the International Police, Giovanni did not have access to the kind of manpower he needed to do something about the problem. That was something he wasn't used to – ordinarily, as a crime boss, Gym Leader and wealthy businessman, he usually got what he wanted done with little controversy within groups of his followers. Now he was completely helpless, and it was a feeling he hated.

His tightly-enclosed bubble of anger and frustration was broken by the feeling of Persian nudging his hand. When he looked down, Giovanni found his trusted friend staring up at him with worry in his eyes, accompanied by a nervous meow. Persian definitely could sense that something was wrong, though this didn't surprise Giovanni, considering all the years they'd been together.

"Don't worry, my friend. I'll make sure everything is okay."

The sound of his doors creaking open suddenly hit Giovanni's ears, causing him to jump in his chair. It was Stacia nervously edging herself into the office, her glasses glowing to obscure her eyes and a cordless telephone in her hand.

"What, Stacia? What happened now?"

"You are needed on the videophone, sir," Stacia flatly informed him. "You have been summoned by the governor for a conference call regarding the Whitegold City disaster."

-:-

In his run-down lab, Zager leaned back in his chair, feeling many of the same nerve-wracking thoughts that Giovanni did on the matter; however, unlike his boss, he didn't have a partner to console him. Galvantula was too busy sucking electricity out of an open socket in the wall to pay attention.

"Well, it's about time to get started on the job, then."

Leaning forward again, Zager tapped a key on his keyboard several times, switching the window displayed in the front of his screen until the one he desired was prominent. Its border designated it with the name "RChannel," and it appeared to be a message board website. A chain of new posts greeted Zager's eyes, and he scanned them until he spotted one relevant to his concerns, posted by someone using the name 'Slowpoke Tail.'

"Hey, have any of you heard about what's happening in Whitegold City?" the post read. "A freak storm showed up there, and they're saying that Darkrai and Cresselia are fighting in the city on the news!"

Directly after that post was a reply that came within minutes, from a user called 'RAGECANDYBAR.' "Yeah, I heard about it. I'm really worried, some of my friends just went there and are trapped! Isn't there anything anyone can do?"

"Pansage," the next message simply read.

"You know about Pansaging important topics, you fool!" Slowpoke Tail reprimanded the third poster. "Are you trying to get that scary admin in here?"

An anonymous post followed that. "Whitegold City? Isn't that where that Chiaki guy was making that speech that Polaris interrupted? Think they're connected?"

It was that post that made Dr. Zager completely freeze. "Polaris…" He knew the name of the group, and that knowledge struck fear deep into his heart. Hastily, he typed in his username – Galvantula Man – and entered the message, "What's this about Polaris? What are you talking about?"

Almost immediately after Zager posted his question, a reply popped up. "Pansage for not watching the news."

"I told you you're going to get that scary admin in here! Shut up! Galvantula Man, if you didn't see the coverage, a group of Polaris members disrupted Matt Chiaki's speech and attempted to kill him. There was a camera dropped by one of the reporters covering it that broadcast the entire thing. They tried to short out his body using a bunch of Magneton, but this woman saved him by beating the shit out of the three of them. They were ranting about a pure world and someone named Father, or something."

Zager's eyes were trembling in fear by the time he finished reading the message. He raised his fingers to type a response, but could not think well enough to do so. Instead, he turned his chair away from the computer and stared blankly at the wall.

"They've begun… Arceus help us all…"

-:-

Butler's Gardevoir's Teleport had ended up moving the group to a tunnel beneath Whitegold City. Unlike the environment topside, where the vicious weather made it difficult to be outside for more than a few minutes at most, the underground area was quiet and dry aside from the stream running down the center of the passage.

Taking advantage of this reprieve from the harsh realities of the danger aboveground, Matt and the others tended to their injured Pokémon while they had the time. In addition to Sky, Balin, Kayla, Butler's Gardevoir and Aurelie's Gothitelle, Hethna and Ayingott were present as well, all being healed by their trainers using various medicinal goods.

"I'm sorry these Revival Herbs are so bitter," Matt said apologetically, looking over his Pokémon as he returned the gnarled, green herbs in his hand back to his bag. "They're remarkably good medicine, so please try to look past how they taste."

Hethna and Ayingott grunted their agreement with his request, so Matt nodded, smiled and returned them to the safety of their Poké Balls. When he turned around, however, he was greeted by a sight he didn't expect or hope to see – Olivia sitting against the wall, crying. All the others were looking at her, but none of them knew what to say to make her feel better.

"It's impossible!" she fumed, tears rolling down her face until they dripped onto the cold stones of the floor. "Nothing we do works against him! I don't think we're going to get out of this!"

"Don't talk like that!" Though he didn't like the harsh tone his words took and had some trouble scaling it back, Matt felt that to some degree it was necessary to do. "We will expose the truth and save this city!"

"Shut up!" the girl shot back, her face red and eyes cloudy with water. She was afraid, but had no outlet to direct her fear into nor a figure she truly felt comfortable turning to for comfort. "What gives you the right to talk to me that way? You aren't any more able to stop this than I am!"

Matt froze, not out of any offense he might have taken to Olivia's latest explosion, but out of how true it really was. He knew she was right, that he didn't have any power to stop Everton or save the city, so therefore, he recognized her point about not having any right to speak with authority in the situation.

"Maybe Matt isn't able to stop Everton or the destruction of Whitegold City," Rowena entered with a surprising amount of focused calm, "but all of us as a group should have just the abilities we need to do the job."

Nekou set her hand on Matt's shoulder. "I can tell what you're thinking. You don't have to be able to solve everything by yourself all the time."

"You're right," Matt answered, his face brightening slightly. "Olivia, don't cry anymore. It's all of us against Everton, I'd say that even with his Victory Star we've got the numbers advantage. Okay, the first thing we need to do is come up with a plan, and the first step to that is figuring out where we are now."

"We're in the underground tunnel network," Rowena helpfully informed.

"Everton had these tunnels built over a decade beginning in the early eighties," added Woods, making good use of his inside knowledge of Everton's operation. "Ostensibly it's a sewer system, but it also links several warehouse properties he owns throughout the city."

"Okay, so we're underneath the city. We should be safe for a while here, which will buy us time to develop a plan for fighting back. So what do we know right now?"

"That horrid man plans to flood the city and destroy every living thing within it to cover his wicked tracks," Katorena correctly pointed out.

"And we're the only ones currently outside of the death trap he's turned the Whitegold Dome into," Matt continued. "We must consider the possibility that if that seawall fails during the storm, we may be the only ones who can survive."

After loudly clearing her throat, Bunny interrupted, "Or we can consider another option. Save the townspeople and tourists."

"Is that even possible?" Turning to Aurelie, Diane repeated her stress-fueled question. "Is that possible?"

"The city is angry," explained the venerable mystic. "Liam's actions have enraged the city, and she is unleashing a righteous punishment upon the wicked."

Aurelie stopped speaking for a moment, allowing all of the others to absorb what she was saying. Aside from Woods, who knew what her words meant, Aurelie's allies all looked at her with stunned expressions. Normally the idea of a city being a living thing would be something all of them would dismiss, but after everything they'd already seen that day, it didn't sound as crazy anymore.

Having given her audience plenty of time to catch onto her story, she finally continued, "When the earth became enraged and its power turned against the people, the great vessel carried them to a point of salvation, and the land became calm once more."

"Tell me what you're actually talking about!" Olivia demanded. She had stopped crying, but her emotions were still raw, and trying to exert even a little thought at the time put far too much stress on her, overriding her usual etiquette.

"The People of the Vale, right?" Bunny gasped, her voice rising in excitement over being the one to understand Aurelie's cryptic words. "When the People of the Vale were threatened by the destruction of their land following a terrible war, they all gathered into a sword-shaped flying castle that carried them to safety and ultimately restrained the land's anger. This city was founded by their descendants, so if history can teach us a lesson about how to deal with the crisis we have now… vessel, vessel… the ships in the harbor!"

"That's actually a pretty brilliant idea. Maybe I underestimated you." As usual, Nekou's compliment to Bunny, while sincere, was delivered with complete sarcasm.

"We've got like fifty thousand people in that stadium, though," Matt pointed out. "How do we efficiently move them without putting them in danger?"

"The same way we got here," Bunny said. "Gardevoir's Teleport."

"With that many people involved, could we pull that off?"

"It would be challenging, but I think she could do it," Butler replied to Matt.

"Butler, please, lend me Gardevoir," proposed Woods. An apologetic look filled his eyes, and he was undeniably sincere. For his role in getting Everton's plan to this advanced point, he was clearly remorseful, and had every intention of fixing it. "What happens to the people of this city is my responsibility. I'll get them out."

"Don't go getting yourself into worse trouble," Aurelie scolded. "I'm coming along. I've lived in this city even longer than you have… I cannot abide by someone like Liam threatening the good people who live here."

"Now, let's not be getting ahead of ourselves. Matt, give me your computer."

Bunny's sudden demand caught Matt off guard, as while he was indeed listening to the entire conversation, he didn't expect to be made part of it. She was in an uncharacteristic hurry and simply reached into his bag to take out his tablet computer, all behavior that he, despite their short time as a group so far, would have expected out of Nekou instead. Stunned by the way she forcefully seized control of the chaos, Matt stood back as Bunny tapped her finger lightly against the device's screen.

"The people won't believe our evacuation order unless we can prove that Everton is behind everything," Bunny explained to an enraptured audience. "We need to find proof of his guilt."

Turning to Rowena, Woods gulped loudly. Having to face the woman he'd stabbed in the back wasn't an easy matter, and he knew quite well that she was being extremely generous in giving him another chance. "Do you have a map of these underground tunnels?" he inquired. "I have a hunch about some of Liam's actions."

"Yeah, I do. Hang on." Much to Woods's relief, Rowena wasn't as concerned about the problem from earlier as he was. She remained straight-to-business, producing her cutting-edge portable phone and sorting through the files on it by sliding her thumb across its screen. "Ah, here we go."

With the press of one more button, Rowena triggered a projection of the image currently displayed on her phone's screen. It was a map of Whitegold City, but a blue line cut through it, twisting and turning and breaking off into many side paths; that line was also accentuated with periodic red, green and black dots.

"This is a map of the underground tunnel network," elaborated the reporter, making sure that her allies were able to keep up. After all, if they got lost, there would be no point for Rowena to speak. "The blue line is the track of the tunnels. Each color dot denotes something different along the system; the red dots are Everton's warehouses, the green dots are openings to above ground to get into the tunnel network, and the black dots point out where the drain gates that can empty the water from the tunnels are."

"I want to know more about that one." Woods locked onto a red dot that was far from all the others, in the upper-left corner of the projection, and pointed at it to show the others. "That's the poor area of the city, so I don't know why he has a warehouse there. Suspicious activity has been reported in that area lately, too."

"That could be a great opportunity for us." Though her fear had mostly passed, Olivia still remained weakened, a state that was reflected in her shaky voice. "Butler, please, take us there."

"Will do, Olivia. Gardevoir, use Teleport!"

All of the assembled humans and Pokémon were engulfed in the shining light Gardevoir produced, along with the stolen hoverboard, which had been lying on the ground nearby. A mere second later, they were all gone, having departed for deeper into the tunnel system in pursuit of an answer to the answers they sought.

-:-

Whitegold City's harbor was a bit further up the river from the seaport where Matt and his friends had entered the city the previous day. Countless shipping containers lined the docks, hued in many different rusted colors and bearing the insignias of numerous cargo companies. The rain created a relentless cacophony of shrill tapping noises with each drop that struck the containers' iron surfaces.

Many ships, big and small, sat moored at the piers, but it was one particular vessel that stood out. This one was at least twice the size of the typical cargo ship in the harbor, nearly approaching the size of a cruise ship. The upper half of its hull was painted red while the bottom half was left in the silver tone of the metal, creating an image like a Poké Ball. Daubed in yellow paint near the ship's bow was an oversized representation of Everton's anchor logo, making the craft's ownership impossible to miss.

It was in the shadow of this towering ship that Foster and his Throh awaited their pickup. While waiting, they took cover underneath a tarp attached to some of the containers on the wharf to hide from the rain. They'd been there for some time, so when they heard the characteristic roar of Everton's Humvee's engine, their moods brightened considerably. The glow of the truck's headlights appeared shortly thereafter, beckoning them.

Though Foster and Throh only had to run a short distance to the truck, it was more than enough time in the storm to leave them soaked to the bone. For that reason, the dryness and relative warmth of the vehicle's interior was much appreciated by the pair.

As if he could read Foster's thoughts, the moment he got in the truck, Everton said to him, "You can't be afraid of the water with where we're going. This storm is nothing."

"I'm… not afraid of the water, sir."

"Is that so?" After letting out a hearty laugh that was loud enough to make Foster and Baker cringe, Everton opened his laptop again. "Let's check in on how the rest of the world is taking this."

A swift motion of Everton's hand over the computer's controls summoned the Black City Exchange data window to the forefront, revealing his current investment information.

Brick Piece Reserves, which he had originally invested $550,500 in, had gone up by one hundred and sixty percent. His $679,000 in Star Piece Trading had gone up one hundred and seven percent. Finally, his investment of $825,650 in Icirrus Mineral Collection saw an increase of one hundred and seventy-five percent.

Finally, the stunning number displayed next to 'Current Total Balance' in the window – two hundred and twenty-five million, nine hundred forty-nine thousand, seven hundred and fifty dollars.

For someone who had turned around a profit of over ten thousand percent on an initial investment of two million, fifty-five thousand, one hundred and fifty dollars, Everton's response was relatively muted. After clenching the top of his head with both hands, he smiled so broadly that his face could stretch no further, and even his Victory Star-absent right eye filled with a glitter of sinister satisfaction.

"I've done it," he growled, his voice getting stuck in his throat due to how eager he was to gloat. "I'm one step closer to complete victory! With the funding for my dream now secure… all that remains is Victini itself!"

"Has it appeared yet on the radar?" Despite speaking to Everton, Baker did not release his tight grip on the truck's steering wheel, nor did he turn from his rigid gaze out into the pouring rain.

"No, unfortunately." A look at the thermal scan of the city confirmed this, as the readout had not changed at all from the last time Everton checked it. "Wherever they went to hide, they haven't come out yet. I think it would be wise here to create a bit of a diversion while we wait it out…"

A low, chilling chuckle escaped from Everton's lips as he clicked his right hand over several keys on the computer.

-:-

Somewhere on the borderline between the wealthy and poor areas of the city, a flock of Pidgey and Pidove clustered under a wood awning to hide from the storm. Despite the differing origins of the two species, one thing they both shared was a strong dislike of getting their feathers wet.

Their peace was violently disturbed, however, when a sudden electrical flash lit up the entire darkness beneath the canopy, startling the bird Pokémon and causing them to scatter and flee.

"Raaa…"

Clutching the collar affixed around its neck, Darkrai roared out of the shadows, where it had been hiding to recover its strength. It had hoped that Everton's need of it was finished, but it knew that the shock meant that wasn't the case. Having long resigned itself to being broken as Everton's slave, Darkrai flew off in search of Cresselia in order to restart their battle.

**END of CHAPTER 4**


	6. The Battle for Whitegold City

Be advised that this chapter contains dark themes and periodically intense violence.

-:-

**CHAPTER 5:** The Battle for Whitegold City

-:-

With his arms crossed behind his back, Giovanni stood at the videophone screen embedded in the wall of his office. Stacia stood rigidly behind him, holding a thick folder of paperwork against the fronts of her legs.

On the screen, which was divided into two halves, Tobias occupied the left side. On the right sat a woman wearing a white lab coat over a white shirt and diamond-shaped red earrings that matched well with her thick ball of light-brown hair.

"I'm pleased that you found the time to join us, Giovanni." From his shadow-covered face and weak voice, Tobias appeared quite weary. "Perhaps you've met before, but if you haven't, please allow me to introduce Professor Aurea Juniper," the woman nodded when her name was mentioned, "who will be assisting us tonight."

"Think nothing of it," Giovanni responded. He placed great care in restraining his actions, in order to not give any of his agenda away. "Have you managed to stop the collapse of the Black City Exchange?"

"We'll open with that subject, then." Tobias made sure to exaggerate the annoyance in his voice just enough to reveal how he felt about this constantly coming up, but he also knew that getting it out of the way immediately would put it to rest. "I've gotten through to the directors of the Black City Exchange, and they've initiated a search into any accounts related to Liam Everton. If they find suspicious activity, the trading day will be stopped and safety measures will be activated."

"Well, I guess that's better than nothing."

"I don't know what more you'd want me to do. Now, the bigger issue at hand – the storm enveloping Whitegold City and its potential consequences for the rest of the world. This is why I have summoned you here, Professor."

"Yes, Tobias, thank you," Professor Juniper said, her gaze remaining fixed straight ahead. This rendered Giovanni's side of the conference a bit disorienting, as instead of addressing him, she was addressing Tobias, who was to her left. "A few hours ago, a huge thermal plume was released in Whitegold City."

"Did you know anything about this, Giovanni?"

Tobias's question made Giovanni hesitate. He had to choose his words carefully, for if he said the wrong thing, his dealings with Dr. Zager could potentially be exposed. After thinking on what to say for several tense seconds, he finally partially lied by responding, "Not much aside from the fact something happened."

"I see. Well, here is what is happening," Juniper continued to explain, "the storm in Whitegold City formed after an instantaneous climate change that took place following the release of the thermal plume. At its current rate of growth, not only will the storm inflect devastating, cataclysmic damage to Whitegold City, it may grow to the point where the global weather flow is altered."

"It will be an unprecedented disaster on a global scale," added the governor.

"Based on analysis of the thermal plume's heat signature, I have concluded that the reason for its formation is the power of the Pokémon Victini. That power, the Victory Star, is part of Whitegold City's history. Based on available research, if Victini's power were sufficiently destabilized, some of the Victory Star energy could have flowed out into the atmosphere and the city itself, creating a self-sustaining cycle that continually strengthens the resulting storm at an alarming rate."

"The Victory Star…" The pieces of the puzzle quickly fell into place within Giovanni's mind. It was not long before he had a large portion of Everton's plan figured out, but knowing what was going on only enraged him further. "Liam Everton is causing everything currently occurring in Whitegold City. The appearance of Darkrai… the vicious storm… the suspicious stock market outcomes… all of it fits perfectly to distract from his true goal, obtaining Victini's victory-seeking power! The potential applications of such a power would be truly revolutionary!"

"I know that all too well," grumbled Tobias.

-:-

"Is Matt Chiaki okay? Please tell me he's okay!"

"I won't let anyone hurt him!"

"I'm sure he's fine. He's so amazing, nothing bad would ever happen to him."

"Right? Nothing bad could possibly happen!"

"If someone like Liam Everton tried to hurt him, I'd put a curse on them! Same goes for those whores around him if they let it happen!"

"I'll protect you, Matt! There's nothing you need to be afraid of!"

Zager sighed as he scrolled through the laundry list of bizarre posts he'd come upon while scanning RChannel. All of the posts containing the unsettling messages about Matt had been made less than three minutes apart from each other, and all were written by a user with the name 'The Second Diary Holder.'

"What is with all the people trying to get the admin in here today?" lamented the user 'Troll of Nugget Bridge.' "Did this basket case forget what happened last time? She installed Rickroll as background music on the entire site for a straight fucking week to punish a guy who spammed good threads!"

Suddenly, an alarm started going off on the computer, pulling Zager away from the oddly engrossing spectacle of the unfolding Internet drama. It was being generated by a window that was running a simulation of the storm's growth, but what greeted him was horrifying news that he was nowhere near expecting.

"I-Impossible…" he gasped breathily. Just considering the implications of what he was quickly discovering rendered Zager simultaneously scared and excited for the new scientific opportunities arising from the storm. "The growth of the storm isn't linear, it's exponential… at this rate…"

-:-

Using the map on Rowena's phone as a guide, the group hurried down the tunnel toward the blinking red dot on the diagram. The last Teleport hadn't dropped them at the exact location, so it came down to a frantic race to reach the mysterious warehouse before things got any worse.

"We're almost there!" she called out, gesturing ahead with her right arm. "Hurry! This is our best chance to get the proof Everton was behind all of this!"

"I'm carrying myself as swiftly as my feet will allow!" huffed Katorena, who was running alongside Olivia and just ahead of the floating Victini.

Sooner than they expected, however, they arrived. In fact, because the group was so close to what they were looking for in the first place, they nearly ran right past the large doorway within the tunnel wall.

"Wait, I think this is it!" Matt abruptly shouted, stopping his dash seconds before his allies did. "Woods, is this what you wanted us to find?"

After looking over the doorway, Woods walked to the keypad directly next to it and deftly entered a series of codes into it. Almost immediately, the lock on the doorway disengaged, allowing it to open and reveal the insides of the freight elevator.

"Oh you, Liam, never changing your security codes even twenty years later…" Finding a bit of humor in this, Woods smirked to himself as if mocking Everton internally. Turning back, he said, "This is the place. Even though this warehouse isn't one that I'm aware he ever used during my tenure at the company, he used the same codes in his security programming for so long that getting in was a piece of cake."

"And it's that wit that made them call you this city's greatest gambler." A momentary lapse of Matt's intense concentration allowed a smirk to escape onto his face, but it was only there for a fleeting second. Resuming his focus on the task at hand, he pulled open the freight elevator's doors and stepped inside. "What is this?"

"There aren't any buttons," Olivia flatly pointed out, having made her way up next to Matt. "How are we supposed to get anywhere with this thing?"

"Here's the problem." By this point, the others had all filed into the elevator, and Woods was examining the platform where Everton's Klinklang fit in. "Each general employee of Everton International is issued a Klink, the first evolutionary form of Klinklang, as part of their training package. Likewise, the freight elevators for most every warehouse are powered by Klink-activated mechanisms. This one's different, though… this mechanism clearly will only work if a Klinklang is installed, and of course, we know who the only person with one is."

"How horrid!" spat Katorena. "Does this mean we cannot progress further?"

"Now, not necessarily." Kneeling next to the mechanism's console, Rowena pointed at it and said to the others, "Bypass the Klinklang key altogether and funnel electricity directly to the system. Essentially, hotwire it."

"If that can work, Gothitelle can do it," Aurelie volunteered, producing the appropriate Poké Ball from her robes; all the Pokémon had earlier been recalled following the Teleport in the tunnel.

"It won't be that easy. The key can't be bypassed," Woods sighed. "The other elevators won't operate unless the key is present, so I see no reason why this one would."

Silence hung over the amassed team within the lift, but it only lasted for a mere second before Nekou abruptly broke it. "Once again it falls to me, doesn't it? Fine, I'll show you _boys_ how it's done. Zorua, prepare yourself!"

In a flash of light, Nekou's Zorua burst from her Poké Ball and deftly positioned herself on the platform, barking sharply as she did so.

"Zorua, ready to show off just how awesome you are?"

"Zo!"

"I thought so! Now… take the shape of Klinklang!"

After barking once more, Zorua jumped up into the air and enveloped herself in a bright purple glow. In the blink of an eye her shape changed into that of Klinklang, and once the light faded, it became impossible to distinguish that she actually was a Zorua and not a Klinklang. One thing she couldn't do in this form was float, however, so she fell straight down and fit into the mechanism.

"Impressive," Matt complimented, "I wouldn't have thought of that."

"Zorua's powers of illusion go as far as changing her own physical appearance," Nekou smugly boasted, before she lowered her head to allow a shine to fill her glasses. "Not that you should expect anything less when I get my hands on the problem."

"I suppose you're right, being the mad scientist that you are," he mocked through gritted teeth. Matt then stepped back over to the console and kicked the bottom of it with his cybernetic left leg, dislodging the metal panel covering the circuitry within. Finally, he reached down, and with little effort he pried it off, exposing the machinery's insides. "It's up to you now," he said, turning to Aurelie.

"Right. Gothitelle, come out and use Charge Beam, my dear."

Immediately after being released from her Poké Ball, Gothitelle brought her hands together. A small amount of electricity sparked from them, followed by a thin, concentrated flare of energy that connected with the circuitry of the elevator's power supply device.

This was the solution the group needed. The elevator accepted the energy, and once power spread throughout its systems, it started to move upward. Zorua, as Klinklang, rotated in the mechanism as the lift rose up toward the warehouse.

-:-

A bolt of lightning lit up the skies above Whitegold City, casting a flare against the two creatures floating in the air. One was a ragged-bodied Pokémon colored mainly black and white, while the other had the shape of a purple swan with translucent wings.

Both Darkrai and Cresselia apprised each other with exhaustion in their eyes for a brief, tense second; the hatred between the two was palpable. It was Cresselia that made the first move, shakily aiming her Signal Beam at Darkrai. Because of the tremors shaking her body, however, it went widely off-target, instead coming down and hitting a fountain just on the rich side of the city. A flock of Ducklett and Swanna, undeterred by the torrential downpour, had been swimming in it; the blue ducks and curvaceous white swans panicked and scrambled for cover.

Darkrai seized on the momentary opening that Cresselia's miss afforded and rushed forward, grabbing hold of the Psychic-type's body in its dark claws. Straining greatly, it threw her down to the street and then rained a wide Dark Pulse upon her.

-:-

Once again, Giovanni was back at his desk, and Dr. Zager was speaking again to him via the secure video link. What was different this time, though, is that a look of worn agitation was fixed on his face.

"Giovanni, sir, you must listen to me!" he gasped, his voice becoming raspy.

"You have no authority to speak to Mister Giovanni in such a way, Zager," Stacia coldly reproached from over her boss's shoulder. She had no tolerance for anyone disrespecting Giovanni, and as such, she stared down at the scientist's image with great scorn. "If it was not for him, you would have nowhere to go. You owe him your life, so speak to him in a more respectf…"

"That's enough, Stacia," Giovanni cut in, waving his secretary off. "I'm interested in what Gabriel has to say."

"Thank you, Giovanni, sir." Leaning forward into the screen, Zager hurriedly continued, "My calculations on the storm's growth rate were wrong. The algorithm was assuming that the growth rate was linear, and it's not. It's exponential."

Though he could judge that this was not good news, the exact meaning of it was just slightly above Giovanni's head. He was by no means an uneducated man, but there was a reason he had trained scientists like Zager in his employ. Not only that, but he also wanted to confirm a suspicion he had after his call with Tobias and Professor Juniper. Leaning back in his chair, he said, "I'm sure there's a reason you're so upset. Explain it to me."

"Sir, because the growth rate is exponential, we are now facing imminent global disaster much sooner than expected. Do you remember anything of any astronomy classes you ever took?"

"Enough to know what to tell you what to do. What of it?"

"On the surface of the planet Jupiter is a phenomenon called the Great Red Spot. It's a storm that has raged for possibly three hundred and fifty years or more. Granted, the type of storm the Great Red Spot is is usually associated with snowstorms, but the principle is the same."

The facts of the situation were beginning to dawn fully on Giovanni, and he lowered his head to disguise his growing concern over what was increasingly appearing real. "I get where you're going with this, but let me ask you something. If Victini's power, the Victory Star, leaked out into the climate, would it be possible for that to lead to this situation?"

"That's it!" Zager exclaimed. "That's the variable that's made this storm grow on this scale! The power of the Victory Star gone awry combined with a sudden thermal spike in the area could in fact lead to this! All that energy released into the climate could easily create an endless, unstoppable storm."

"You're saying that the Whitegold City storm could become Earth's Great Red Spot?" Stacia guessed, adjusting her glasses nervously on her face. "I understand now. The consequences would truly be dire if that were to occur."

"It's not that simple. The Great Red Spot remains largely still and doesn't move much. If this thing continues growing, it will soon completely reshape the planet's jet stream, leading to an apocalyptic shift in weather patterns. I've run a simulation, and based on my projections, the new weather pattern will first lead to violent thunderstorms throughout the world… and Viridian City is right in the way of one of them."

Giovanni sat back again. Though he didn't show it, this news brought an emotion he didn't usually feel – fear. When he had the full might of Team Rocket behind him, he would have never feared anything, not even this. But in the present, he only had Zager, Stacia and a few remaining Executives and agents to rely on. Despite his usual confidence, Giovanni was a realist, and he knew that the remnants of his team wouldn't be enough to fight back against the weather going out of control.

"What's the timetable, Gabriel? I must be prepared to activate emergency contingency measures if things get completely out of control."

"That's what I was dreading having to show you, sir. Here it is…"

At that, Zager pressed a button on his end that caused a countdown to appear on Giovanni's screen.

Zero hours, Fifty-one minutes, fifty-two seconds.

"This is until the rest of the world is affected?" Finally, Stacia's façade cracked. Just how close the world was to its impending doom terrified her.

"The countdown until we enter a new and terrible era for the entire world," Zager coldly declared. "When this finishes, there may be no turning back."

_00:51:23…._

_00:51:22…_

_00:51:21…_

-:-

The roughly fifty thousand evacuated residents and tourists still remained confined inside the Whitegold Dome, completely unaware of what was going on outside. Their one source of information was the news broadcast by Midori Makise, which had been covering Darkrai and Cresselia's fight, but even that had been disrupted some time earlier.

One thing they could hear, however, was the sound of the relentless rain on the roof of the stadium. That was more than enough for the existence of an intense storm to be clear to the evacuees, and scattered murmuring was circulating among them.

"You hear that rain, right?"

"Sure has gotten nasty out there fast. I wonder what's going on?"

"Do you think the floodgate will hold?"

"Of course it will. It was designed for that."

"We'll be safe here. Captain Everton brought us here because it's safe."

This fractured discussion was interrupted when Midori's news broadcast abruptly returned to the giant screen inside the stadium. _"This is the Everton News Channel's coverage of the disaster in Whitegold City. I'm Midori Makise, and we have some breaking news. After their sudden disappearances a few hours ago, Cresselia and Darkrai have returned, and once again are fighting it out, possibly to the death."_

-:-

Pitch-black darkness greeted Matt and his group as the freight elevator arrived at its destination. The lamp inside the elevator's platform could only throw enough light to illuminate roughly a foot into the warehouse, past which nothing could be seen at all. Not only that, a foul, musty odor filled the air, making it difficult for them to breathe.

"We have to search in the dark now?" Olivia complained, her voice filled with clear irritation. "When is this day going to cut us a break? It stinks in here too!"

"Let's not be so negative just yet. If Everton was doing anything in here, there must be a light switch somewhere."

Playing off of Matt's thought, Katorena tossed out one of her Poké Balls, releasing her Espeon. "Espeon, I ask of you, use Flash."

"Espeh!" With a shrill cry, Espeon cast a bright burst of light from her body. This illuminated the gloomy warehouse, though only temporarily.

"Just what we needed." The heavy steel box that contained the light switch was actually only a few feet away, so Rowena quickly strode over to it and turned it on.

Now with a stable light source available to make the warehouse's interior visible, the group was able to take stock of what they faced. An empty cage with only its corners still intact occupied the center of the relatively small space, but aside from that, there was nothing.

"Either we just went on a wild goose chase or we're right where we need to be," Nekou guessed. "Matt, are we where we need to be or did you screw things up again?"

"Oh, be quiet. It wasn't even my idea to come here."

"Both of you shut it." Sick of hearing the two of them argue, Bunny abruptly interrupted, intending to state her own observation. "This has to be it. Why would Everton have a warehouse for one empty cage, hidden in the middle of nowhere no less? He was up to something here that he didn't want anyone knowing about, I'm sure of it."

"That makes sense, Bunny." Turning to his partners, Matt started gesturing around the chamber with his arms. "All of you, pair up and fan out across the warehouse. Scour every square inch you can for anything suspicious."

"Yes," replied all the others in unison.

The groups started to take shape almost immediately. Woods and Aurelie went off to the far end of the warehouse, while Katorena and Rowena investigated an area closer to the middle. Olivia and Bunny remained close to the elevator, as did Butler and Diane. Finally, Matt entered the cage itself to search for clues.

Because the cage was simply an enclosure, Matt had little to do but lean down and examine the floor. Something had glittered briefly in the light, and though it took him a moment to find it, he eventually managed to wrap his fingers around it.

"Hair?" he questioned openly, holding the three thin, silvery strands between his fingers. "I wonder what this means exactly…"

"So we're in a cage together. I thought it would take longer than this."

Matt jumped nearly a full inch into the air because of Nekou startling him. She'd snuck up behind him while he was busy examining the floor of the cage and was now intent on riling him up once more.

"You're the one who followed me in here…" he muttered, trying not to take the bait she was pushing.

"You're no fun, you boring ass. You say you found hair? Obviously it's from whoever was in this cage."

"That's a good point. Let's find out what this is from."

After taking his computer out of his bag, Matt held it in his left hand and the three strands of hair in his right. He then opened the eyepiece on the mask covering his left eye, revealing the artificial organ with its red coloration underneath.

"Now that's interesting," Nekou commented over his shoulder. She was watching the results of analysis being carried out on the hair, with the strands themselves getting scanned by Matt's artificial eye into the computer's database, which then evaluated it against known records.

While the examination of the cage went on, Rowena and Katorena were in the middle of making a discovery of their own. They'd zeroed in on a video screen mounted on the wall directly across from the cage, and were carefully inspecting its sides.

"I observe nothing over here," Katorena stated with her voice slightly raised. "What about you?"

"Hold on…" Nothing seemed apparent at first, but as Rowena ran her hand down the right side of the screen, her fingers suddenly slipped into a tiny depression near the bottom. The doubt she felt immediately gave way to a near-predatory thrill as the allure of a blockbuster headline returned. "Wait, I've got something! Everyone, get over here!"

Katorena wasted no time in hurrying over to Rowena's side of the screen, and they were soon joined by Woods, Aurelie, Butler, Diane, Olivia and Bunny. Matt and Nekou, on the other hand, remained inside the cage to complete the analysis of the hair.

"What's this about, Rowena?" asked Butler.

"There's a port for a computer cable right here in the screen," the reporter explained, "and it should be no problem at all for me to hack in and see what's been broadcast by this thing. Olivia, come here and help me."

"Sure." Walking right up next to Rowena, Olivia tilted her head and questioned, "What exactly do you want me to do?"

Before Olivia could even finish her question, Rowena thrust a silvery cable into her hands and quickly produced her notebook computer. "Plug one end of that cable into the screen and the other into the port on my computer. This should only take me a minute."

Without another word, Olivia complied and carried out these instructions. Immediately upon gaining the connection, Rowena entered a command code to infiltrate the video screen's systems. However, as soon as she entered the system, a window stopped her progress with a demand for a four-digit passcode.

"It wants four digits," she said to the others without taking her eyes off the screen. "Hit me with some ideas."

"Eight, six, eighty-two," Woods said without skipping a beat.

"How are you so confident in that?" Bunny gasped, stunned by Woods's swift decisiveness.

"One thing Liam was never very good at was inventing security codes. August 6, 1982 was the day he became president of Everton International, so it's as good a choice as any to try."

"Eight, six, eighty-two," Rowena dutifully repeated as her fingers touched each numerical key on her computer.

Not even a full second after she finished typing the code in, a beeping sound indicated that the system indeed had accepted it, and was now allowing her full access. Encouraged by this success, Rowena quickly started probing the secrets contained within, almost immediately coming upon just what she was looking for.

_"Darkrai!"_ the previously recorded footage of Liam Everton thundered from Rowena's computer after being downloaded from the monitor. _"I see you're doing well, Darkrai. Listen well. Your mission is about to begin. When I release you into Whitegold City, you are to attack as many Pokémon as possible and put them to sleep. Continue doing that until Cresselia, your hated enemy, is drawn out. At that point, you are to fight Cresselia and do nothing more. Lest I remind you… if you disobey me at any time, that collar you're wearing will enable me to punish you. Am I understood? Now go, Darkrai! Fulfill your purpose and bait forth Cresselia from the shadows!"_

"This is it," Bunny whispered, her mind overwhelmed by this discovery. "The smoking gun… Matt! We found someth…"

Just as she turned around, though, Bunny was cut off. Matt and Nekou were already solemnly standing right behind her and the others, wearing looks that made clear the severity of what they'd uncovered.

"Darkrai's hair was inside that cage," Nekou stated flatly. "That smug little fucker was keeping Darkrai in here so nobody would find out."

"That and the video are exactly what we need to use to prove his guilt!" exclaimed Rowena excitedly. "How should we carry on from here?"

"The first thing we need to do is inform the evacuees of the truth." Once again, Bunny was taking charge of the tactical planning for the group's next moves. "Rowena, you can hijack the broadcast frequency of the Everton News Channel, right?"

"It might take a bit of work, but I should be able to pull that off."

"Good, because I have a plan to distract Everton long enough for us to get the evacuees to the ships. It's going to require the splitting up of our team, though, so Woods, that's where you come in."

"What?" the old man grumbled.

"For this plan to work, we're going to need to drop at certain points in the city to occupy Everton long enough. In order to determine those exact points, only you have the power to figure it out."

"Are you saying… my contract?" Suddenly, Woods's eyes lit up, and he gasped deeply. Bunny had accidentally brought him to a huge realization. "I understand what my contract was now. It must be that when I contracted with the Victini in Castelia City… it read my wish for Liam's cruelty in the situation to stop… and thus, my Victory Star is leading me to stop him now. That must be it… and in that case, I'll gladly use it. Victory Star!"

Almost immediately after activating his power, Woods clutched his face in pain. He did an admirable job of fighting it, though, as he knew how important it was for him to use the Victory Star at this point. Soon enough, his visions came into focus.

"A map," he demanded, "give me a map, now!"

Hearing Woods's need, Matt loaded a map of Whitegold City onto his tablet computer, then passed off the device to Bunny, who held it before the convulsing man. "Olivia goes here," he revealed, hitting his finger against a point on the map. "Rowena and Katorena go here. Matt, Nekou and Bunny go here."

That was the limit of Woods's power; he could force no more information out of himself and fell to his knees, though he quickly recovered. Bunny, meanwhile, apprised the map and smiled.

"This is just what I needed," she said through her grin. "One last thing we'll need. Butler, do you feel like proving that there's something to the concept of magic?"

Raising an eyebrow in confusion, Butler replied, "Always, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"You'll see." Finally, Bunny turned to Victini, who had been floating around the warehouse during the entire investigation. "Victini, you're the key to everything. Please, for all of us and for your friend Cresselia, be brave. We can help you."

"Tini…" Victini softly and apprehensively cried.

"We can't waste any more time," Rowena bluntly pronounced. "I managed to get the frequency we need to hijack set up already. If we're going to save Whitegold City, we must go on the air very soon."

-:-

The Humvee from Everton International still sat on the docks, having gone nowhere with its passengers since Baker and Everton picked up Foster.

"Where are you, Victini?" Everton growled, staring at the thermal readout map on his computer. "This is the one downside of using a thermal radar for a plan like this. It's all but useless with the way the atmosphere is in this city now, unless Victini appears right out in the open."

"Why don't you use the Victory Star to find Victini?"

Foster was sincerely trying to be helpful when he suggested this. However, Everton immediately laughed and began mocking him.

"Why don't I use the Victory Star, you ask? You hear this, Baker?" Everton only continued his tirade after Baker nodded curtly without turning his head. "You idiot, did you ever think that maybe I already tried to use it and it led me here? Victini will appear, it's just a matter of when, so shut your trap and do your job."

Baker couldn't answer. He was too stunned at the vile outburst he'd just been the target of, doubly so because it was from the boss he'd served so faithfully for years. Luckily, though, Everton wasn't interested in pursuing it further either, instead opting to open the tab containing Midori's news broadcast again.

_"We still do not have any conclusive information on why Darkrai and Cresselia appeared, disappeared and then reappeared again. Security measure D-10 is still in effect, until further notice."_

"I don't need to hear you anymore," Everton mumbled as he sharply struck the key that shut off the broadcast window, eliminating it from his sight and hearing.

Cutting off his view of the broadcast at that exact time would prove to be one of Everton's biggest mistakes. He had no time to come to realize this, though, as an alarm from his computer prompted him to quickly reopen the thermal imaging map.

The heat signature indicative of Victini's presence was back, but there were two of it.

"What's this?"

"Captain Everton?" Baker wondered, turning. "What's wrong?"

"Victini's on the radar… twice. Will one of you two explain this?"

"In two different places?"

"Yes, Foster, in two different places… you're really making me wonder about your salary."

While Foster shrunk back in his seat, Baker asked, "Shall I pursue the closer of the two signatures, sir?"

"Do it. We've got a fifty-fifty chance."

That was all Baker needed to hear. He slammed his foot down on the truck's gas pedal, causing the vehicle to tear off into the storm.

-:-

The coverage of Darkrai and Cresselia's battle still hadn't ended, but Midori was exhausted and in need of a break. That was one point where she'd gotten lucky – her coverage was never stipulated to be uninterrupted, so she had the occasional luxury of a commercial to rest.

It just so happened that she was on one of these rare breaks at the moment when the videophone installed in her broadcast desk's computer started to ring. Curious about who could possibly be contacting her news desk directly at such a time, Midori put down her teacup and touched the phone icon on the screen.

This action brought an image of Rowena up onto Midori's computer. "Hello? Hello?"

"What are you doing, calling me?" Midori awkwardly demanded. She really had little patience for such interruptions while she was working, doubly so when her work involved an emergency news situation. "Oh, don't even bother telling me who you are, Rowena, I know already. Your freelance reporting for ONBS's online division is pretty well known in our circles. Just tell me, what kind of reason have you got for bothering me now?"

"I'll level with you, Midori. Liam Everton has left you and the entire population of Whitegold City to die. As part of our solution, I have already gained the ability to seize control of your broadcast frequency to speak to the citizens. I'm contacting you first, though, because I want to ask you a question. Would you rather face death as a number in a casualty count, or go down in history as part of the effort that tried to save this city?"

This question and the facts leading up to it gave Midori pause. Given that she was one of the most important employees of Everton International – or at least believed she was – she had no reason to think that she would also be a target of Everton's plot. Suddenly, the very events Midori had been covering that day took on an entirely new meaning, once she realized the possibility of it all being orchestrated.

-:-

Having materialized very near to the Whitegold Dome, Woods, Aurelie and Butler's Gardevoir quickly got inside the complex without being noticed and began rushing down a long corridor toward the main stadium.

"This… this is all my fault…" Woods gasped as he ran. "I could… have stopped this…"

"What… are you… talking about?" Aurelie shouted back. Unlike Woods, who had the Victory Star providing him with some extra vitality, Aurelie's body was being pushed to its limits by the sprint. Accordingly, her breath was even more labored than his. "How could… it be your fault?"

"I should have recognized… that Liam was becoming an evil man…"

~:~

Even in the past, the inn where Matt and the others were staying still existed. It was still run by the same woman, even back then.

Little had changed inside the building in the intervening decades; modernization clearly wasn't the owner's main concern. One thing that stood out at that point in the past, however, was the fact that posters covered the walls. All of them were identical, bearing a picture of a younger Liam Everton standing with his arms spread and outstretched, with the words "VOTE EVERTON 1983" scribed beneath.

Sitting at the bar was Woods, still young but now having the familiar eyepatch covering his Victory Star-afflicted left eye. He was quietly sipping at the small glass in his hand, which held a pair of ice cubes submerged in an inscrutable drink, while watching a news broadcast playing on the bar's television. The newscast depicted Liam Everton giving a speech from behind a podium, the headline "Liam Everton Elected Whitegold City Mayor" displayed beneath him.

This quiet scene was interrupted by the sound of a heavy clomping noise against the floor, then by a gruff, weary voice. "So he won the election after all. It doesn't really surprise me…"

"Captain Everton!" The owner of the inn had been brushing her black hair in a nearby mirror, but she quickly rushed back to her duties as Becket Everton lowered his aged, weary frame into the chair. "What can I get you?"

"Bourbon," he replied. "I need it."

While the innkeeper set about retrieving Becket's drink, Woods moved closer to his former captain, consumed with worry for him. He had never seen Becket in such a way, and it alarmed him.

"Becket, what's wrong? Has something happened? Is it your leg again?"

"This rotten thing is bothering me, but it always has." Becket stiffly moved his right leg, then tapped against it with the gnarled cane in his hand, creating the sound of wood hitting wood. "That's not it, though. It's that Liam got elected mayor…"

"Is it bad that he won?" Woods asked in near-complete confusion. "He is your grandson, after all."

"He is my grandson," Becket repeated listlessly. "I taught him that nothing was impossible for a man with a dream… and his ruthless rise to the top of Everton International speaks volumes to that."

The glass of bourbon was ready, so Becket took it up and downed its entire contents in one deep gulp. After shaking his head to work off the shock of the alcohol hitting his system, he reached into his jacket and produced his travel log.

"What's that book?" the innkeeper questioned as the book was pushed toward her.

"It's a log of my adventures on the sea," he explained. "In it are a variety of tales of Legendary Pokémon which I collected over the years. I want you to take it and hold on to it until there is someone who can make use of it."

Looking up at his former captain as he slowly rose, Woods whispered, "What are you saying, Becket?"

Becket did not answer. Instead, he took another look at the television screen, on which Liam Everton was still speaking. He then said out loud, "Arceus help us all."

Without even paying for his drink, Becket Everton turned away from the bar and lurched awkwardly toward the stairs, his cane and wooden leg creating dueling crashing sounds against the hardwood floor. Woods and the innkeeper, both left stunned by the old man's bizarre and unsettling behavior, could only watch as he struggled up to the second floor.

About one minute after the thumping noises of Becket Everton's cane and wooden leg stopped echoing down to the ground level bar, the quiet scene was completely shattered by the sounds of a single gunshot and something heavy crashing to the floor.

~:~

"…you do remember that time, right?"

"It was right after… right after that when… Liam abolished the five-year election cycle…" Aurelie recollected through her labored voice. "He gave himself full control… by winning the mayoral election… and then he cancelled any further elections, and… none of us did anything about it…"

"Stop! Hold it right there!"

As they had anticipated, Woods and Aurelie found themselves accosted by two dark-suited Everton International guards just as they broke through to the main arena; two Klink, the Steel-type Pokémon that would ultimately gain larger gears upon evolution into Klang and Klinklang, floated behind them. With the crowds of evacuees being distracted by Midori's ongoing broadcast, their job seemed quite easy.

"What are you two doing outside?" demanded the second guard. "Security measure D-10 stipulates all evacuees remain within the safety of the Whitegold Dome. You two have committed a crime by disobeying this order!"

"Silence yourself, you ignorant fool," Aurelie scolded, ignoring the man's command. "None of the people in this building are evacuees, including you. You're all hostages."

"Hostages? What nonsense do you speak?"

Instead of immediately answering the first guard's question, Woods walked to the railing past him and thrust his finger forward, pointing at the giant video screen in the stadium. "Watch for yourself… right about… now."

_"It is at this point that we must bring you a special statement regarding this emergency," _Midori said, her voice and usual resolve noticeably shaken.

At that moment, the screen changed. No longer was it filled with images of Darkrai fighting Cresselia and Whitegold City getting destroyed being presented by Midori, but instead, a simple view of Matt from the middle of his chest up materialized. Even though many of the evacuees didn't recognize him, this abrupt change of events in their information stream arrested their attention.

_"Citizens and tourists of Whitegold City, my name is Matt Chiaki,"_ he introduced, using a voice laced with steely determination. _"As you know, earlier today, Darkrai appeared in the city, prompting a fight with Cresselia that has in turn led to a spiraling series of disasters engulfing the area. At that time, a security measure was put into place that resulted in your mass evacuation under the orders of Captain Liam Everton._

_Ladies and gentlemen, please listen to what I have to say. Liam Everton is lying to you all."_

The chatter that went up amongst the citizens was immediate and alarmed.

"Captain Everton's lying to us? What does that mean?"

"It can't be. He'd never do such a thing."

"But what if Matt Chiaki is telling the truth? What happens to us?"

The recording of Matt continued on, _"Please, listen to what I have to say and consider my warning carefully. Liam Everton is not the altruistic man he has presented himself as. He is a tyrannical megalomaniac ready and willing to use the lives of everyone in the city as a payment for his true goal._

_Liam Everton's true aspiration is, or should I say was, the Victory Star, the power controlled by the Pokémon in your city's folktale, Victini. At this point, Everton has, in fact, captured the Victory Star and made its power his very own. However, at the same time, he also created a thermal plume that formed an incredibly intense and still-escalating storm. His intention, and this is difficult for me to say, is to leave the entire populace of Whitegold City to die when the storm becomes too strong and overtops the seagate, leading to the complete flooding of the city."_

Alarm turned to panic at the exact second this revelation left Matt's mouth. The townspeople and tourists began screaming at each other in mortal terror, with some on the game field beginning to look for ways to get into the stands and leave the stadium.

"But what if this is all a lie?"

"You fool, the news wouldn't be in on it! We're all going to die!"

"But he's claiming Captain Everton was lying to us, and the news reported all of that, too! So what is it?"

"It's not worth arguing! Save yourself now and worry about the details later!"

"I'm afraid of water and I most definitely can't swim!"

"We have to get home and get our heirlooms before this city sinks into the ocean!"

_"Do not panic!"_ Though the statement was prerecorded, Matt evidently predicted the exact scene that was unfolding. Not all the citizens calmed from his first proclamation, though, but they slowly did return to attention bit by bit as he continued. _"I have a plan that will save you all from certain doom. Please, do not panic, and listen to what I have to say! I have appointed two of my allies, Woods and Aurelie, to assist in the evacuation of all of you from the Whitegold Dome to ships in the harbor. There, you will be safe from danger, and if the worst happens and the city floods, the ships will carry you to safety. Again, please, do not panic. Your safety can be assured! Please, work with us as we try to save this city and your lives!"_

Matt disappeared from the video screen at that point, but even though his message was over, the frenzy it provoked was just beginning. Though the citizens and tourists stopped trying to escape, it was not out of a lack of a desire to do so; instead, no one trapped inside the stadium knew just where to run to at all.

Up in the stands overlooking the relative chaos, Woods observed the situation for a moment before turning back to confront the two speechless guards. He opened his mouth to give them an order, but was interrupted himself by the sound of numerous footsteps approaching. It was the trio of men that Woods gambled with that arrived before him, the guards and Aurelie.

"What is the meaning of all this, Woods?" demanded one of the three, gasping for air after running up the stairs. "What has your old captain gotten us into?"

"Woods…" Unlike the first man, the second was a lot more composed and spoke in a rigid voice. "Is what Matt Chiaki says true? You must understand, the idea of Whitegold City disappearing into the ocean is no laughing matter."

"It's all true, sad to say." Actually having to brush a single tear out of his eye as he spoke, Woods cleared his throat, then continued, "I was the source for a reporter's investigation of Liam Everton, and I got roped into this whole thing. It's happened before my very eyes. Matt Chiaki's claims are true."

"Then tell me, is his evacuation plan correct?" Before he could get an answer, the third of the elderly gamblers realized something and pointed straight at his friend's face. "Where's your eyepatch? Your eye is…"

Knowing there was no time to fully explain the meaning of the Victory Star in his left eye, Woods merely ran his hand over it. "Some other time, when there's not as big a hurry. But to answer your other question, the plan is sound."

"In fact, you three can help," Aurelie added. "Do any of you have Pokémon with Teleport?"

"I have two, in fact!" responded the second of the trio, throwing two Poké Balls out. "Go, Electrode and Exeggutor!"

Aurelie and Woods both smiled; the large white-and-red ball and three-faced coconut tree Pokémon were just the help they needed.

Once again turning to the guards, Woods set his gaze on the megaphone in one of their hands. "Give me that. I'm going to need it."

"Um… oh, right, sure."

After a moment of hesitation, the guard acquiesced to Woods's request and passed the megaphone to him. Woods nodded curtly to signal his thanks, then walked with the megaphone in hand to the railing overlooking the chaos on the field.

"Everyone, listen up!"

It was useless; the crowd was far too agitated for Woods's words to have any effect. In fact, they couldn't even hear him even with the megaphone.

Knowing he had to do something to resolve this, and that he had to do it quickly, Woods spent a moment pondering his options. An idea quickly came to him, and he tilted his head slightly to direct a suggestion to the two guards. "Use your Klink to get the crowd's attention."

After they both grunted and nodded, the guards stepped forward and simultaneously called out, "Klink, Zap Cannon!"

The bodies of each of the two Klink were made up of two small gears with the evolutionary line's signature face on them. On the orders issued by their trainers, the two Steel-types rapidly rotated their gears to general electrical energy in the form of a pair of sparking spheres, which were then launched into the air over the field. When the two blasts collided, they exploded in a spectacular display of light, garnering the attention of the evacuees in the stadium for just long enough.

"Everyone, listen up!" Woods once again boomed through the megaphone, this time to much greater effect. "Please, I implore you, do not panic! Matt Chiaki is telling the truth. I am here to help evacuate you all to the safety of the ships in the harbor, with assistance from the Gardevoir, Exeggutor and Electrode I have here with me. You will be taken out in groups of as many as we can take at a time, so please be calm. This will be the day Whitegold City survives!"

-:-

Sitting at his desk, Giovanni had also seen Matt's broadcast, having returned to watching the live feed of the Everton News Channel. Leaning forward with his right hand curled in front of his mouth, he took a deep breath, contemplating events as they now stood.

There were several factors to bring under consideration. He hadn't spoken to Zager in a short while, but as of his last update, Giovanni knew that the public at large was beginning to take notice of the disaster's full scope. In turn, there was still no word on any potential solutions Tobias could have come up with to stop the many unfolding situations. Because of these factors, Giovanni arrived at only one possible conclusion.

"Stacia," he quietly said to his loyal secretary, who was standing next to him, "prepare a secure communication line. There's someone I need to contact."

"Right away, sir."

-:-

Clutching Victini in her arms, Olivia was running up the path to an abandoned, decrepit mansion that sat alone on a large piece of land. Her shoes mashed into the soft dirt of the trail that led from the opening in the rusted fence around the property all the way to the mansion's front door. She intended to hide inside the building, which would buy her time to escape from Everton and also serve to buy time for the evacuation efforts.

When she was about two-thirds of the way up the trail, however, the sudden flashing of bright lights from behind caused her to stop dead in her tracks and turn around.

She'd been caught.

After bringing their truck to a screeching halt in the mud, Everton, Foster and Baker streamed out, trailed closely by Foster's Throh and Baker's Sawk. In accordance with his station in the group, Everton took a step forward to confront Olivia.

"I'm guessing that you've been abandoned again." Everton's snide tone made his intent – to push Olivia's buttons and ultimately trigger her snapping – more than clear. "If you want me to spare you, hand over Victini. I haven't got time for any more of your juvenile games."

"I know what you're trying to do!" she shot back, unwilling to play Everton's game. "Besides, even if I did give up Victini, you wouldn't spare me."

"You're right, I wouldn't," Everton replied, smiling sadistically. "Baker, go forth!"

"Yes, sir! Sawk, use Low Sweep!"

Almost immediately, the blue, robe-wearing Fighting-type descended upon Olivia and undercut her footing with his right leg. Though not hurt badly, she screamed as she fell, and when she hit the ground, Victini bounced out of her grip and rolled away from her by about a foot.

"Neutralize and capture Victini, Sawk!" At this point, Everton was unwilling to even allow enough time for Baker to command his own Pokémon, and began giving Sawk orders himself. "Use Strength now!"

A white aura surrounded Sawk's right arm as he tightened all of the muscles in it. For a brief second, he towered over the immobile Victini – who was lying face-down on the ground – before hitting it with a punch thrown with crushing force.

"Victory is mine!" Everton arrogantly declared. He could see no possible way for this not to be true; at this point, Victini was defeated and the group resisting him was fractured. There truly was no way for him to lose.

There was truly no way for him to lose unless something completely outside his calculations happened. When Olivia started laughing at the top of her lungs, he quickly realized something was wrong.

Upon being hit by Sawk's Strength, Victini didn't react in pain or fear or any other way. Instead, it simply dissolved into thin air.

Continuing her smug laughing to mock Everton, Olivia finally said to him, "Did you really think it would be that easy? You will never get Victini!"

"You impudent little bitch… I've had just about enough of seeing your spoiled little face! Klinklang, Gear Gri…"

Though he had pulled out the Ultra Ball containing Klinklang, as Everton prepared to throw it, Foster seized his arm to stop him.

"Captain Everton, sir, we must keep searching for the real Victini! Time can't be wasted here!"

Foster was not lying, to a degree. While it was certainly true that the time until the destruction of Whitegold City was running out, that actually wasn't the biggest thing on Foster's mind. Truthfully, he knew what Everton was about to do, and despite all of the other horrible things he'd done under his captain's command, Foster couldn't let him go wild on Olivia using Klinklang.

Overtaken by rage, Everton slowly turned to look at Foster over his shoulder. Luckily for the redheaded bodyguard, however, Baker interrupted at this point, holding his tablet computer.

"Captain Everton, the heat signal broadcast by this Victini has disappeared, but another appeared elsewhere to replace it, so there are still two signatures being picked up. We must continue our pursuit immediately!"

Everton growled loudly in anger, but then acquiesced to his bodyguards' urging and put Klinklang's Ultra Ball away. "Fine. We'll go follow the signatures and get the real Victini." He wasn't looking at Baker and Foster as he said this; instead, he was looking down on Olivia with a livid, murderous intent in his eyes, as if directing his words at her as a threat. "Once we do, this city and all inside will rest in a watery grave."

"I have to get to the meeting point…" Olivia quietly groaned to herself as Everton and his forces retreated. Her legs ached where Sawk had hit her with Low Sweep, and a desire to rest washed over her body. "He's even madder now… be careful…"

-:-

One thing no one in the city would have thought was a good idea was flying in the storm consuming the entire area. Yet, that was precisely what Butler and Diane were doing, riding on his Salamence on their way to a destination of their own. The Pokémon's draconian body was not impaired by the intense weather conditions, but the powerful winds did somewhat hinder his flight.

"Butler!" Diane howled, holding onto Salamence with her right hand while shielding her face from the wind and rain with her left arm. "Are you sure those illusions will work?"

"They'll hold until an attack strikes them, and they can confuse heat radars! Until he hits one, Everton won't be able to tell one apart from the real thing. They'll do the job!"

"Watch out!"

Butler barely had time to pull Salamence back before an errant Dark Pulse cut skyward less than a foot from the dragon's face. Darkrai and Cresselia swept into view, the attack having gone astray during their fight. They continued to clash, paying little mind to the two humans they were putting in danger.

"Salamence, we must escape from here and get to the seagate!" the magician shouted over the howling wind and noise from Darkrai and Cresselia's battle. "Search for a way out and cut through!"

The still-escalating exchange of blows between the two Legendary Pokémon made it difficult for Salamence to find the opening Butler had called for. They were fighting at close range now, trading Dark Pulse and Ice Beam against Signal Beam and Energy Ball.

When Darkrai used Thunder, however, the opening appeared. Cresselia was stunned by the electric bolts Darkrai launched from its hands, creating a stalemate that Salamence interrupted using the purple rings of Dragon Pulse. This triggered an explosion that threw both Darkrai and Cresselia back from each other, which in turn allowed Salamence to fly right through.

Salamence's interruption of the fight and subsequent departure had no influence toward stopping the violence, however. Once they shook off their respective dazes, Darkrai and Cresselia viciously attacked each other again. Taking advantage of the close range of the battle, Darkrai seized hold of Cresselia and used a point-blank Thunder attack to electrocute her while pushing her through the air over the business district of the city. When she broke free from its grip, she flew a half-circle around Darkrai and struck with a swift, precise Aura Sphere before simply ramming her foe with the full force of her body.

Cresselia attacked so recklessly, in fact, that their tangled masses crashed through a window on the thirty-seventh floor of the Everton International building. The two Pokémon tumbled through several cubicle walls, desks and shelves before separating amidst a ravaged mess of paper, computer parts and other office supplies. Before Cresselia could recover, Darkrai used Thunder again, devastating the entire area in addition to painfully shocking its enemy. Because of all the electricity flowing through the room, the circuit breaker for the floor was tripped, shutting off the main power to the entire floor. In the place of the regular ceiling lights, wall-mounted emergency floodlights went on, creating an unevenly lit and unsettling atmosphere for the two.

Immediately upon recovering from the Thunder attack, which had left her body tingling with static electricity, Cresselia flung an Energy Ball in Darkrai's direction, but Darkrai escaped by moving into the shadows between areas lit by the floodlights. Cresselia looked around in panic for a moment before realizing a way to find Darkrai and launching an Aura Sphere.

The pained roar from within the darkness confirmed that Aura Sphere had successfully sought out its target, even in this setting. Darkrai was far from beaten, however, and shot forward out of the shadows, tackling Cresselia out through the windows in much the same way as she'd tackled it on their way in.

As they descended toward the roof of a shorter office building, Darkrai and Cresselia stared at each other with burning hatred in their eyes, fueled by two different reasons. In the case of the former, it had completely given up on its life by this point, resigning itself to the fact that it would not get out of being Everton's slave until it died; for Cresselia, the battle was entirely because of the threat she perceived toward Victini, whom she had sworn so many years ago to protect at any cost. Both were consumed not only by hatred for each other but pain in their own bodies as a result of the protracted struggle, but both also were unable to back down from the fight.

-:-

Katorena and Rowena had been dropped off at a dock separate from the main harbor, where a large and intricate yacht was moored. Sixty-four feet in length and two stories in height, the vessel was an impressive sight, and Katorena was extremely proud when she got to admit to Rowena that it was her property.

The two were hiding under a canopy on the yacht's first-level deck, accompanied by another Victini. Nearby was the hoverboard that the group had stolen from Everton earlier. It was from here that Rowena had broadcasted the message from Matt, and now was where she continued monitoring the evacuation from the stadium.

"Is everything progressing according to our calculations?" Katorena asked her reporter companion while sipping from a pale green can of lemonade she'd recovered from a refrigerator nearby.

"Very smoothly," Rowena replied, nodding slightly. "They've already got about forty percent of the people out of the stadium, if you want my rough estimate."

This relatively peaceful scene, broken only by the storm at first, would not last. The sound of tires screeching on the concrete of the dock alerted Katorena and Rowena to Everton's truck spinning out. As soon as the vehicle stopped moving, Everton, Baker and Foster jumped out, the former two not discouraged by the pouring rain soaking them. In order to buy Rowena time to keep monitoring the evacuation, Katorena stepped out into the storm to face them.

"Take my advice, now is not the time to be a badass," Everton threatened, his words taking on a sort of melodramatic flair. "Give me Victini right now, or you'll end up just like the little bitch with the blue hair did."

"You're bluffing, cretin." During her condescending response, Katorena prepared a Poké Ball in her hand. "That Olivia might be a commoner compared to me, but even then, she's still a lady compared to a mere jester like yourself."

Something about that remark caused a switch in Everton's mind to snap. He began twitching erratically and his eyes shrank back into his head as anger overtook him. "After all the obstacles I've overcome…" he snarled, "you say that being a so-called lady makes you better than me…" Suddenly lashing his head up, Everton locked his bloodthirsty gaze squarely on Katorena. "You ladies don't even have enough power in you to be allowed to see what I've seen! Cryogonal, Flash Cannon!"

Thoroughly frustrated and enraged, Everton threw his Ultra Ball with the force of a baseball pitcher's fastball, setting loose Cryogonal in a flash of light and shining sparkles. The Ice-type Pokémon immediately looked down at Katorena, gathered up light energy from the surrounding area, then fired it at her in a concentrated shot.

However, what Everton expected to see afterward – a charred Katorena suffering from significant injury – was not what greeted him. Katorena's Poké Ball had contained an Alakazam, which was now standing between her and Cryogonal and holding back the Flash Cannon with his Light Screen.

"Captain Everton, please! Allow me to take care of this one!" Baker took a single step forward, stomping his foot down on the concrete. "Sawk, Poison Jab!"

Everton's Cryogonal overheard this command and pulled back, ceasing its Flash Cannon. Sawk cut in to make up for it with his right hand overturned and glowing with a sinister, dark purple hue. He plunged it through Alakazam's Light Screen and straight into the Psychic-type's chest, sending him flying back into the wall behind Katorena.

"Oh, what fun this is! I haven't had a good chance to go wild like this for too long! Sawk, get her out of Captain Everton's way!"

Pivoting on his heel, Sawk faced Katorena down. His intent became crystal clear when he pulled his arm back in preparation to use Strength, but he never got the chance to strike her. A blast of electricity cut him down, causing him to roll across the deck of the yacht to a spot near the dock.

It was Rowena's Cinccino, standing off to the side with her fur sparking following her usage of Thunderbolt. She growled angrily, warning Sawk, Cryogonal and their trainers to back off while showing no fear of her extremely powerful adversaries.

"I've had just enough of this foolishness!" bellowed Everton, firmly putting Baker back in his subordinate place. "We take Victini, head for the ark and set sail for our destination! Cryogonal, use Acrobatics and send Victini this way!"

Slicing through the air at blinding speed, Cryogonal first moved behind Victini, who was merely floating nearby and watching the unfolding brawl. It next rammed its body right into the Psychic-and-Fire-type Pokémon, sending Victini flying through the air. With a broad smile, Everton lifted his right arm and opened his hand in preparation to catch it.

What happened next was something not expected by Everton, Baker or Foster – while spiraling through the air, Victini completely vanished. Just like the one Olivia had, it was part of Butler's magic trick. Everton was left staring at the empty space where the illusionary Victini once was with his face slowly contorting more and more as the truth set in and his internal fury escalated.

"My victory… won't be held up any further… and you obstinate idiots will not stop me! Cryogonal, punish her!"

Cryogonal turned its Acrobatics on Katorena, even if reluctantly, and battered her down with a single swift, decisive strike. Just as Katorena hit the deck of her vessel, though, a baseball-sized rock smashed into it, followed by four more similar rocks. Each one landed an effective strike, pushing Cryogonal all the way to the front of the yacht.

"Excellent job, Cinccino!" Rowena said, congratulating her Pokémon on her success with Rock Blast while running down the deck. As the reporter helped Katorena up, she asked, "Are you okay?"

"Despite how horrid this is, I've never been better."

Everton wouldn't let that remain. "Cryogonal, what are you waiting for? Finish her off, you useless Pokémon!"

"Captain Everton, wait!" Baker called out, interrupting things before Everton could force Cryogonal into another assault. "There's only one heat signature left now! We must be on the trail of the real Victini once and for all!"

This update prompted Everton to stop. He chuckled under his breath for a moment, then broke out into a full-fledged hysterical laugh as he brought Cryogonal back into its Ultra Ball.

"It's all over for you now. Try as you might, you cannot stop me. Enjoy your grave at the bottom of the ocean!"

With Baker and Foster in tow, Everton retreated, and less than a minute later the truck screeched away again in pursuit of its final target. On board the yacht, Katorena wrenched herself out of Rowena's grip in just enough time to watch her three enemies leave.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Rowena wondered.

Katorena did not answer directly. Instead, she turned and ran to the hoverboard as fast as her thin legs would allow her to.

"Katorena, wait! What are you doing?"

"I've been sheltered for so long, hidden away from what this world truly contains, and now death is staring me in the face. I am not going to turn down a chance to spat upon its door! Alakazam, go find Olivia and bring her to the yacht. I have something I must do myself!"

There was not even an ounce of fear evident in Katorena at all as she lifted the hoverboard into the air. She did feel somewhat clumsy with its controls, but she'd seen Matt using it enough to understand the basic functions. Once she had enough altitude, she turned toward the city and began flying off.

-:-

Somewhere deep in the heart of the city's business district, Matt, Nekou and Bunny ran down a deserted, rain-drenched street, finally deciding to take shelter in the covered plaza in front of a large office building. Nekou had been the one carrying Victini, and she continued to hold it in her arms even when they stopped. Unlike the two illusions, this Victini was more animated and actually moved around.

"Do you.. think it's working?" he gasped, trying to collect his breath. "We need to buy time for Woods and Aurelie to complete the evacuation."

"Everton hasn't found us yet, so I'd say so," Bunny offered, before quickly adding, "Watch. I bet I just hexed us and he's on his way."

"Don't tell me you want to give up already, Matt." Nekou was obviously going out of her way to be sarcastic, even at a bad time. "You can't count on me forever."

"Oh, shut up. I'm just trying to be practical here. We need to have a plan for once the evacuation is complete… if we don't know what our next move is, Liam could pull this out still."

"I think we have to just ride out the storm once we've beaten Everton and gotten the citizens to safety," Bunny explained in a levelheaded fashion. "Butler and Diane will deal with keeping the seagate intact, so once the storm dissipates…" Quite abruptly, Bunny froze and stopped speaking. It seemed that something had garnered her attention. "Do you hear that? That beeping?"

"That's my computer," Matt revealed, removing the relevant device from his bag. A blue-and-white telephone icon was blinking on the tablet's screen. "A video conference? Who would be calling me for a video conference now?"

Shrugging, Matt tapped the button with his finger, and promptly jumped in shock at who he was greeted by. The rigid, narrow-eyed face with carefully carved lines, well-kept brown hair and dark suit were all far too familiar.

"It's a good thing I was able to get a hold of you."

"Giovanni," Matt sighed, acknowledging the presence of the Viridian Gym Leader and Team Rocket boss. "Look, I'm not in the mood for this right now. I've seen enough fucked up shit today to last me a year. I do want to know how you got my contact information, though."

"It was given to me, but where I got your contact information is the least of your worries right now. Judging from the speech you just gave on the Everton News Channel, you're fighting against Liam Everton, aren't you?"

Now Matt was intrigued and somewhat worried by what Giovanni was saying. He hadn't factored in the possibility of others outside the city watching the broadcast.

"Yeah, I am. He's trying to sink this city into the ocean in order to cover up his stealing the Victory Star from Victini, but we've got a plan to evacuate the residents and ride out the storm he caused."

"I thought as much," Giovanni said, grimacing. "You cannot simply ride out the storm. It won't be that easy."

"What are you talking about? And why are you giving me this information? I'm telling you now, I'm not working for or with a criminal like you."

"This is a completely legal partnership." Giovanni allowed a slight condescending tone to slip through as he clarified his intentions. "I'm going to level with you here. I have information that you need to be successful in what you are trying to do in Whitegold City. I am more than willing to give you this information, but you must use it to accomplish a goal that will benefit not just you and me but the entire planet. That goal is defeating Liam Everton, and your group is the only selection of people still able to do that."

Matt sighed again. He still didn't want to hear Giovanni out, but given the situation, there really were no other choices. If Giovanni wasn't bluffing and Matt chose not to listen, the result could potentially destroy any chances left of stopping Everton, and even if Giovanni actually was lying, it couldn't make anything worse.

Armed with this reasoning, Matt nodded and said, "Fine, go on."

"All you can see from your point of view is what's going on in Whitegold City. What you don't know is that this is rapidly developing into a global crisis. Liam Everton manipulated the stock market and drove it into the ground to make himself a large profit off of this disaster, but that's something I am dealing with. What you need to worry about is the storm currently consuming Whitegold City. What is your plan for tackling that problem?"

"We're just going to ride it out after the citizens are safely evacuated to ships in the city's harbor. It'll pass."

"No it won't," Giovanni warned, his voice becoming more severe. "You cannot simply ride out this storm. Right now, it's only destroying Whitegold City, but in under an hour, it will have grown to such a scale that it will begin having profound and disastrous effects on global weather patterns. What you see in Whitegold City right now will spread to the entire planet, and the world as we know it will be destroyed. Something must be done to stop the growth of the storm now."

"This is going to happen worldwide and destroy everything?" Matt gasped in sudden fear. "Is there even anything we can do? This is just too big…"

"Nobody's ever stopped a storm before," Bunny commented in a restless voice, crossing her arms as she spoke. "That's the kind of thing they try to pull in B-rated science fiction movies."

"What about cutting off its power source?"

Matt jumped; he had no clue until it was too late that Nekou was leaning over his shoulder with her head only inches from his. She had a slight smirk on her face, and her glasses were fully covered by mischievous light.

"What did you say?"

"The storm was triggered once Everton released the thermal plume into the city, right?" she reasoned. "That caused the heat and humidity in the city and its water to spike, in turn creating this self-perpetuating storm. What if we used Pokémon with Ice-type moves to reverse that effect?"

"It would kill the storm right at its roots!" The realization of this was like a light bulb going on in Matt's head, but his mood quickly darkened once again. "It could work, but we don't have the sheer numbers it would ta…"

A memory washed into Matt's mind, forcing him to pause. He was suddenly remembering the previous day, when he battled Katorena in Balise Park. That day, their battle was surrounded by spectators, other trainers who were in the city for the Pokémon Bowl that were now being moved en masse to the ships in the harbor. What was truly important and most vivid in his memory, however, were the Pokémon themselves gathered there – not only Ice-types like Weavile, Walrein, Glalie, Froslass, Lapras, Cloyster and Vanilluxe but Pokémon with Ice-type moves as well, such as Empoleon, Dusclops, Aggron, Porygon2, Slowking and Carracosta.

"The trainers who are here for the Pokémon Bowl!" he exclaimed to his companions. "Just from what I saw in Balise Park, there were plenty of Ice-type Pokémon and Pokémon that could use Ice-type moves. We can actually pull this off!"

"Good thinking," Giovanni complimented, a rare thing for him to do when speaking to someone outside of his organizations. "This is no longer about me, you, Team Rocket, the police or any other single entity. If the world does not survive the disaster brought on by Liam Everton, there will be nothing left for any of us. We will all fall under his rule, which, despite our differing backgrounds, will destroy us both. That's why I'm telling you to set aside your usual perceptions of me and use what I've told you to defeat Liam Everton. You are now the last people who can do it."

"I guess I'll take it as a compliment and accept the faith you've put in me and my team," Matt responded, his mind easing ever so slightly once he came to accept Giovanni's honesty in the situation. "If there's anyone who can do this job, it's the Triad of Revenge. Thanks for the intelligence."

Just as Matt pressed his finger against the red 'X' at the corner of the video conference window to close it, the sound of footsteps sank his heart in addition to Nekou's and Bunny's. They all knew what the steps meant, and had only seconds to prepare.

"You're a difficult man to catch up to, Matt Chiaki," Everton taunted. Just as he, Foster and Baker arrived before Matt's group, they had recouped and were facing them directly. Once his gaze settled on the Victini in Nekou's arms, his face stretched into a satisfied smile. "I see you have something I need. The little bitches you call friends thought they could pull the wool over my eyes, but I know for a fact the one you three have is the real one. Give me it and I won't hurt you like I did to Olivia and Katorena."

Matt hesitated. He was unsure how seriously to take Everton's claim of harm being inflicted upon Olivia and Katorena; on one hand, if something bad had become of either of them, Matt fully intended to personally exact justice upon Everton for it, but given his behavior throughout the entire incident, the possibility of his bluffing was not an impossibility. Though the truth was a mix of both possible scenarios, Matt had no way of knowing this.

"Let me tell you something, jackass," scoffed Nekou, as she took the initiative to reply to Everton first. "Bitches get shit done. Maman taught me that. And you know what? Olivia and Katorena fooled the hell out of you with our magic trick, just like they were supposed to. You're just having a colossal pissy fit because those bitches got shit done on YOU."

"How dare you speak to Captain Everton in such a way! Sawk, punish that vulgar…"

Everton stopped Baker from progressing his attack by thrusting his arm in front of the blue-haired guard. "Don't waste your time, Baker."

"But Captain, sir… I really would have had so much fun making mincemeat of her!"

"I'm handling this on my own." To back up his threat, Everton threw one of his Ultra Balls, releasing Klinklang once again. "Klinklang, use Discharge!"

Klinklang hovered over the plaza while repeating the first half of its name, eventually accelerating its rotation so electrical energy could shoot out of the spikes on its rim. The numerous bolts arced aimlessly around the area, prompting Matt and Bunny to jump back out of their way when they got too close.

However, one shot of Klinklang's lightning struck less than an inch from Nekou's foot, causing her to slip backward and fall. As she went down, Victini slipped out of her arms and crashed to the floor in front of her.

"Victini, no!" Though Nekou reached her arm out, from where she had fallen, Victini was far from her grasp. She put on a look of panic as Klinklang lowered itself near Victini, awaiting Everton's next order.

"I can see you're out of tricks to pull on me. Klinklang, show Victini the consequence of disobedience! Flash Cannon!"

There was one thing Everton didn't see – the smirk that suddenly appeared on Nekou's face. Matt and Bunny held back from interfering but showed similar expressions.

Once again rotating at high speed, Klinklang gathered light energy from the air and charged it in the gray circle at the center of its large gear before releasing a bright blast. Victini made no effort to dodge or counter the attack, instead opting to take it head-on. Nekou got up quickly and ran to a place where she could catch Victini, but there was one other development as the Pokémon descended.

It was not Victini that Nekou caught in her arms. While it fell down toward her, it took on a bright glow, and its shape changed.

"Zororororo!" Zorua laughed from her trainer's arms. Despite being a newborn Pokémon, she was already quite strong and extremely intelligent, giving her the ability to not only weather Klinklang's Flash Cannon but to also find amusement in Everton's near-comical reaction.

"What?" screamed the oil tycoon, his voice peaking in an angry snarl. "That wasn't Victini either? Baker, give me an update! Where the hell is it?"

"I… I don't get this, sir!" Baker was looking intently at the tablet computer in his hands, but he was clearly puzzled by what he was seeing. "There's still a signature right here! Victini must be here, but where?"

"Where indeed…" Abruptly turning, Everton thrust his finger to point at Matt. "Tell me where Victini is right now!"

Instead of giving in, Matt simply blew Everton off. "You're out of luck. Look all you want."

"I guess I'll have to persuade you, then… Klinklang, Flash Cannon!"

Responding quickly to Everton's command, Klinklang fired off another beam of silvery light, this one directed squarely at Matt. Unlike Zorua, he made use of some swift footwork to get out of the attack's way, but it sailed so close to his head that a gust of wind struck him. He hadn't expected this, so he wasn't ready to hold down his hat. When it blew off his head, it revealed Victini curled up and hiding underneath.

"There you are, Victini. The chase is over." Extending a hand toward Matt and Bunny, Everton said, "I've gone through a lot of trouble to combat folks like you who would deny the very future of energy and this planet. Now, I'll ask nicely one last time… hand Victini over to me!"

"Not on your life!" Bunny immediately shot back, pulling her arm up into the air with a Poké Ball in her hand. "Kayla, come out!"

-:-

Giovanni leaned back in his chair, ran his hand down his face, and sighed. "It is done. There is nothing more we can do about this now."

"Mister Giovanni, if I may…" Though she maintained her usual timid demeanor, Stacia was breaching sensitive territory, and she knew it. "Why are you helping him? He stands against everything Team Rocket exists for. His success will only set our own goals back."

"Stacia, you must understand the nuances of being in my position. Today, Team Rocket and Matt Chiaki have a common enemy in Liam Everton. Yes, it is true that Matt Chiaki is someone who opposes the goals of Team Rocket, but if he should fail to stop Everton, the result for us would be far worse than if he succeeded and we dealt with him later." Quite unexpectedly, Giovanni then smiled. "And besides, who said I was helping him? He just happened to be there."

-:-

"Kayla, use Hi Jump Kick!"

"Klinklang, Rock Smash!"

Bunny's Mienshao and Everton's Klinklang came together in midair, clashing in an exchange of fast-paced blows. They both were pushed back from each other, drifting near their respective trainers.

"Sooner or later," Everton taunted, "you will have to face the future. Stop resisting."

"You're the one who's deluded, old man!" Nekou shouted back. "Bunny, fuck him up but good. Show him what we're capable of."

"I have every intention of doing just that. Wait and see."

Scoffing, Everton removed his hand from his pocket and upturned it. "A man like myself has no reason to fear anyone, let alone the dregs of society such as yourselves. None of you even understand what it is I'm trying to accomplish, let alone my reasons for doing so."

"I understand enough to know that your actions are about to cause a global disaster," Matt apprehensively said, taking a wary step back. "And for that reason, you won't be taking another step toward Victini. This ends here!"

"You're right," a smiling Everton declared, raising the hand he had just removed from his pocket into a two-fingered point. "It does end here. Klinklang, I'm leaving the finishing blow to you. Flash…"

"C-Captain Everton!"

"What, Baker? Can't you see I'm busy here?" The bone-chilling growl in Everton's voice made plain his irritation at Baker's interruption. With no order given, Klinklang simply remained in place floating before him.

Baker's hands were trembling around the tablet computer in his grip, and likewise, his eyelids shook subtly as well. Many of the windows he'd previously been looking at were rotated to the background of the screen, bringing forward a single box that displayed a security feed from the Whitegold Dome. Now nearly empty, the stadium presented an image that completely stunned Baker, even more so when he actually spotted Woods coming back in with Exeggutor to collect one of the few remaining groups of evacuees.

"I said, what is it, Baker?"

"Captain Everton, sir, they've evacuated the Whitegold Dome!"

"What did you just say?" Everton did not change his stance, preferring to remain standing confrontationally toward Matt, Victini, Nekou and Bunny. He did turn his head, though, roaring so loudly that it echoed through the plaza. "Where have the citizens been sent?"

"It looks like…" Baker paused his speech for a moment while he scanned through multiple windows of surveillance feeds from throughout the city. "…they're being sent to the ships in the harbor!"

"That means they'll survive the flood…"

It was then that Matt made what would turn out to be a terrible error. Thinking he had won, he began to taunt Everton. "That's right, the citizens and tourists are going to survive the flood, and the world is going to find out about what you've done here today. Even with all the power and resources you've accumulated so far, if the world learns the truth about you first, your rise to power will never come to pass!" Matt reached up with his right hand and stroked Victini, who was still hanging on to his head. "It just goes to show you, even when you think you have the power of victory itself… what you had was merely a shadow of that power, and the real form of victory was against you. That's why you have lost, Liam Everton."

"My dream… my dream… it won't…" With every syllable he choked out, Everton jerked his head lower and lower, while bringing his hands toward his face in equally abrupt motions. His eyes became hidden by the brim of his hat, but at the same time, a narrow trickle of blood started to run down his face from his left eye. Finally, he lashed his head violently back up and shouted, "My dream does not end here!"

Noticing that the Victory Star in Everton's left eye was not only activated but trembling and filled with static, Bunny realized that something had changed. She hypothesized in her mind that the power was beginning to reject him, then said to the others, "I think something has changed about the Victory Star. By moving the citizens, I think we might have rendered it so that he's trying to see a victory he can no longer attain."

"Shut up!" This level of rage was uncharacteristic even for Everton; ordinarily, he usually at least maintained his composure, but even that was now beginning to leave him. He continued fuming while unbuttoning his jacket, "I have a dream and the Victory Star is my path to that dream. I'll eliminate anyone in my way. Anyone… through any means necessary!"

His suit jacket fully unbuttoned and open, Everton was now reaching for something he had tucked into his belt. Whatever it was, it was too small for Matt, Bunny or Nekou to see at first.

It was not until a brief second later, when Everton raised the object into the air in his right hand, that a glint of light revealed it to be a small, metallic revolver.

"Holy shit, you have to be fucking with me!" Nekou screeched, her eyes becoming the size of saucers. "It's gone THIS far?"

"Matt, he's after you! Run!"

There was no time for Matt to pay heed to Bunny's warning, as due to his own fear and shock over just how far Everton was willing to go, he couldn't mobilize himself. Everton was already lowering the gun in his direction, with time seeming to slow to a halt as he did so.

For the second time, though, Everton found himself stopped by Foster grabbing his arm. "Captain Everton, get a hold of yourself! Look at what this has come to… I can't stand by and watch you sink further and further into the depths of your own madness!"

Everton said nothing in response to Foster's impassioned plea; he had no need to, as Baker's Sawk took care of the problem for him by using Strength to punch Foster several feet away. A large bruise took shape on Foster's face as he lay prone on the floor, conscious but barely moving.

"Are you really going to disobey the great Captain Everton's will?" Baker questioned menacingly of his counterpart. "Anyone who stands in our way truly will be eliminated."

"Well done, Baker," Everton congratulated, not moving from his raised-arm position. "Your courage and dedication to me is truly righteous. For that, I hereby promote you to first mate of the ark and my right-hand man. Your first duty is to take Mr. Foster here into custody…" Turning back to Matt, Everton smiled. "…while I take care of my final order of business."

This wasn't the first time Matt had faced down the barrel of a gun, so his visible fear was completely unsurprising. Bunny understood exactly what was going through his mind particularly well; it was during a crisis in the Sinnoh Region spurred on by her former mentor, Jacob Alexison, that the professor had shot Matt on his way to the Snowpoint Temple. Because of this, even though Everton's pistol was not aimed at her, Bunny could only stare nervously at the weapon in his hand.

"Now, come on, Liam, we can talk about this, can't we?" It was a feeble attempt on Matt's part to reason with someone he knew was far past the point of being stopped, but he still did it anyway. His voice was wracked by his nerves.

"You're right," Everton responded while not lowering his gun, "let's negotiate. You're going to give me Victini right now, and in exchange, I'll give you this."

Intending to make the terms of his so-called negotiation clear, Everton lowered his aim slightly and pulled the trigger, sending a single bullet straight into Matt's left knee. Perhaps the only upside to this spiraling crisis was that Everton had made the mistake of aiming at Matt's artificial leg, resulting in metal bouncing right off of metal. However, the shot was enough to send a shockwave through Matt's entire body, causing him to fall to his hands and knees with a sick groan.

"Matt, are you alright?" screamed Bunny as she rushed to Matt's side.

"I'm fine. He's not going to easily damage this body. But…" After feeling around on his now-unoccupied head, Matt spotted Victini lying several feet in front of himself, having tumbled off when he fell. "Victini!"

Matt feebly reached out toward Victini, and in turn, Victini reached out to him with its tiny arm, but both froze at the sound of someone walking right up to the Pokémon.

"It's the end of the line for all of you!" Everton bellowed as he towered over them, his gun still in his hand and the Victory Star still going out of control in his eye. "Victini, this is what you get for defying my dream!"

With a single swift, brutal motion, Everton swung his right leg like a club, smashing his foot into Victini. Before three pairs of horrified eyes, the squealing, screeching creature was sent flying a dozen feet into one of the plaza canopy's pillars, where it crashed weakly into the ground. However, before Victini could recover at all, Everton descended upon it a second time, seizing it in his left hand and smashing it up against the pillar a second time.

"You will never escape me, Victini," he said in a vicious whisper.

"Captain Everton, we must begin finishing up here!" Baker called out. "Pass me Victini so I can seal it up!"

"Good idea." Everton tossed Victini to Baker with a casual flick of his wrist, allowing the guard to shut Victini in a large, black briefcase specially reinforced to contain it. With that done, Everton turned back to his audience, who were so disgusted by the scene playing out that they were speechless. Slowly raising his pistol toward Matt's head, he growled, "It's only now, at the end, do you truly realize just how wrong you were. I didn't think I'd have to do this myself… Polaris should have finished this. Nevertheless, even your cybernetic body has weak points. Checkmate."

Before he could pull the trigger, though, a black-and-red blur cut between him and Matt at incredible speed, far too fast for Everton to tell who or what it actually was. What he was more stunned by was the fact that the blur cut three streaks across his face somehow, bloodying it further.

"I'll kill you, motherfucker!"

Everton, Matt, Bunny and Baker all turned in the direction of the voice, discovering that the blur was actually Nekou; however, something was wrong with her. She was standing slightly hunched over, and her fingers were hooked, almost like claws. Once again, it seemed like her hair had grown longer, just like when she was trapped in Cryogonal's Bind.

Finally, she whipped her head around, revealing an expression of frenzy best captured by the bizarre yellow glow in her deranged eyes. "You're fucking dead!"

"Really, am I now?" While Matt and Bunny remained speechless at what they were seeing, Everton seemed completely unfazed by the strange, animalistic appearance Nekou had taken on. "Or could it be yourself that you are speaking of?"

Turning fully to Everton, Nekou let out an uncontrolled, primal scream that caused all others around her to cringe, then lunged straight at the captain with her finger-claws ready to strike.

All of it came crashing down the moment the sound of the gunshot rang through the plaza. The bullet pierced straight into Nekou's left shoulder without exiting, kicking back a splash of blood.

"NEKOU!" both Matt and Bunny shrieked in unison.

As she fell backward, the changes that had so abruptly appeared from within Nekou vanished just as swiftly as they had come. The glow faded from her eyes, her limbs straightened to a more normal human posture, and her fingers became limp. The only change that didn't reverse itself was the growth of her hair. A faint, pained gasp escaped her slowly-widening mouth, and she hit the floor with a weak thud.

"Don't move or you're next!" Everton immediately shouted, pointing his gun at Matt and Bunny, who were too horrified and fearful to move even without his threat.

Matt and Bunny were both sickened by what Everton had done and how far he was willing to go, and both of them were fearful not only for themselves. Though his first shot had inflicted what appeared to be a non-fatal wound in Nekou's left shoulder, Everton was approaching her prone body with the clear intent of finishing the job and all Matt and Bunny could do was watch. They were powerless to save her.

"It really is pitiable, isn't it?" The irrational, almost desperate tone Everton's voice took on completely mismatched with the still-sane words he spoke. "You thought attacking me like some beast would give you an advantage. I almost have to give you credit for having the guts to come at me like that. But, like I've told you all along, my victory is absolute. Goodbye."

Everton began slowly raising his pistol toward Nekou's forehead, clearly intending to kill her with the next shot. Unable to take any more of this, Matt shut his eyes in one last attempt to reject what was happening around him. He felt an overwhelming sense of failure, as for what was now the third time, someone he was supposed to protect was going to die for his weakness.

"Halt, you scoundrels! Thunderbolt!"

Everton and Baker whipped around just barely fast enough to jump out of the way of the electric blast launched at them by Katorena's Beheeyem. Seconds later, the Psychic-type Pokémon and her hoverboard-riding trainer descended to the entrance of the plaza.

"Katorena!" Bunny sighed in relief. "Please, help us!"

"Insolent brat! Klinklang, destroy h…"

"Captain Everton, we're out of time!" interrupted Baker. "We have Victini now, there is no need for us to linger any longer!"

"You're right… pack up Foster and let's go. We're heading for the ark now."

Everton recalled Klinklang and sprinted for the truck, but before Baker followed him with the briefcase containing Victini, he had Sawk pick up Foster and carry him over to the vehicle as well. Katorena let them go, as she was more concerned with the disastrous state her friends were in. After landing the hoverboard carefully, she noisily ran over to Nekou and kneeled down.

"You two! Explain this tomfoolery to me at once!"

Matt and Nekou managed to understand what Katorena was demanding, even though she had used an inappropriately accusatory tone and thrust her finger at them. Managing to wobble back up to his feet for the first time since Everton's attempted kneecapping, Matt made his way to Nekou's body. She was wracked by subtle spasms radiating from the rather messy injury on her shoulder.

"That son of a bitch Everton shot her," Matt explained to Katorena, who reacted with an uncharacteristically emotional gasp. "It's lucky you came. He was about to execute her and then us."

"What do you propose we do about her now, though?"

"Let me go see if there's a first aid kit inside this building," Bunny interjected. "If I have the right supplies, I should be able to treat her wound at least temporarily."

-:-

At the dam separating Whitegold City from the water, Butler and Diane had arrived via Salamence and hurried into the gatehouse where the controls were located.

Once inside, they carefully appraised what they were faced with. On one side of the room, the wall was covered with surveillance monitors observing the dam, and below them, three computer terminals allowed operation of the dam's systems. Opposite the monitors was a wheel made of red metal sticking out of the floor.

Butler immediately dashed over to the control panels and typed in a series of commands. "This isn't good. The dam is going to be forced open soon at this rate. That wheel controls the relief floodgate, but if that gets forced open right now, the city will flood anyway."

"What can we do, then?" Diane inquired. She was full of concern for the people of the city as well as the city itself, as she thought both were unique. Obviously, she would never want anyone to die in any unnatural way, but she couldn't help but think that it would be even worse for such a unique people and place to be eradicated.

As an answer, Butler had a Poké Ball in his hand. "Go, Conkeldurr!"

The sphere erupted in a bright flash of light, giving shape to the hulking brown beast and his concrete pillars. He leaned on the pillars for a moment to stretch his back, then grunted in acknowledgement to his trainer.

"Conkeldurr, use Strength to hold that wheel in place."

Conkeldurr released the concrete pillars and lumbered over to the wheel, walking with an ape-like gait that employed his huge arms for balance. The rusted iron of the wheel groaned sickeningly as the brawny Fighting-type Pokémon set his massive hands on it, but Conkeldurr did not need to exert much strength at all to keep the valve perfectly where it was.

"Conkeldurr is going to keep the relief gate from opening for as long as possible," Butler explained to Diane. "I really don't know if this is going to work, but the alternative is just to let the relief gate and then the main floodgate be forced open by the storm, so this should at least buy the others some time to figure something out."

"I hope you're right…"

-:-

"I found the first-aid kit!"

Indeed, as Bunny hurried out of the building's doors back to Matt, Katorena and the injured Nekou, she had a white box of moderate size held in her arms. Once she reached them, she bent down and placed the chest on the floor, showing that it had a red cross on its cover.

"Are you a medical expert?" Katorena questioned, this time out of actual concern instead of her usual sarcastic manner.

"Well, I'm no doctor, that's for sure. But, given the right tools, I can take care of things just fine." Shifting her gaze to Nekou, who was still lying spread out on her back, Bunny asked, "How is she doing?"

"She doesn't seem like she's getting worse," Matt offered in response. He could only base his assumption on what he could see, so this was about the best he could muster.

"That Everton… when you guys fix me up… I'll fuck him up like never before…"

"I guess she's doing better, then?" he chuckled, humorously amending his answer.

"Now is no time for joking," Bunny warned in a manner a bit too dramatic for the situation. She busily searched through the first-aid box, looking for the supplies she needed to treat Nekou's wound. "Ah, here we go. First step."

The top buttons on Nekou's coat being open made it easy for Bunny to pull down the material, exposing the skin of her left shoulder where the wound was. Matt and Katorena both flinched upon seeing it.

"Okay, you got that wretched thing before our sight…" Katorena's words were labored, as she was cringing away from looking at Nekou's wound, not to mention that the disgust she felt was impeding her thoughts. "…now what?"

"Um…" Fidgeting, Bunny choked on her own words, making it clear that she wasn't entirely sure herself of what was next. "I'd say that it would probably help if we could get that bullet out, but we have no way to do it. I'm not a surgeon."

"There is a way," Matt spoke up almost immediately.

"What is it?"

"It's not going to be pretty, though…"

To further illustrate his point, Matt threw a Poké Ball upward to release Ayingott, his Sigilyph. The subtle widening of Bunny and Katorena's eyes conveyed that they understood exactly what he was about to say next.

"I could use Ayingott's Psychic to get the bullet out of her, but it would be at the cost of an extreme amount of pain. I can't imagine that it would be plea…"

Matt's explanation of his proposal was cut short by a tugging he felt on his sleeve. Looking down, he found Nekou nodding toward him. "Do it," she said in a raspy, forced voice. "I'll kick your ass if you think a little pain is going to bring me down."

"If you say so," he gently answered before turning to his Pokémon. "Ayingott, use Psychic to get the bullet out, but be careful about it, okay?"

As she slowly spread her wings, a soft blue glow filled all three of Ayingott's eyes. The same glow could then be seen peeking from Nekou's wound, at which point her entire body started to involuntarily convulse in pain.

"Bunny, help me hold her down!"

Nekou had to hold still if Ayingott was to successfully extract the bullet, so Matt and Bunny each seized one of her arms to hold her. She briefly struggled but settled down relatively quickly, allowing Ayingott to continue.

However, once the bullet was on the move again, Nekou's pain returned. The sickening squishing of the muscle tissue it was being pulled from told the others with her that it was painful, but just how much Nekou was suffering was known only to her. Just when the bullet reached the point where Ayingott could completely extract it, a sudden spike of pain caused Nekou to scream at an ear-splitting volume and begin thrashing again. Her mind was a jumbled mess, but if anyone could look inside it, they would surely be left horrified by the grotesque visions she was having.

And yet, right after that, the pain started to subside.

"It's over, we got it out," Matt updated her, smiling weakly as he did so. After processing what she had been told, Nekou returned the gesture, but said nothing. He was satisfied with this, and asked Bunny," Is there disinfectant in there?"

"Got it right here." Bunny displayed the plain black bottle as she replied to demonstrate her possession of it.

"Okay, good. Nekou, this might hurt a little, but compared to what you just went through, this should be no problem."

"Bring it on," she whispered, her familiar brash smirk returning ever so briefly.

True to her cockiness, Nekou did little more than flinch when Bunny poured the transparent liquid onto the wound. Even though it burned her as it foamed up, Nekou was able to tolerate it.

"And now, bandages, correct?"

"That's right, Katorena, well done." Taking the medical tape and gauze from the box, Bunny quickly fashioned a well-crafted, heavily protective patchwork bandage across Nekou's shoulder to shield the wound from outside interference. She then pulled Nekou's coat shoulder back up to cover the bandage before producing a white sling. "I think you should put this on and keep your left arm immobile for a while, to avoid putting stress on the shoulder muscle."

Matt took the responsibility of getting the sling onto Nekou upon himself, but as he worked at it, she started talking to him. "Why are you helping me?" she whispered bitterly. "You have more important things to be worrying about. Go after Victini."

"Shut up."

Just as she was managing to get back on her feet, the way Matt reacted to her comment nearly surprised Nekou enough to make her fall down again. "W-what?"

"I'm not going to screw it up a third time. I won't let anyone else I care about get hurt… so we're taking you to Katorena's yacht where it's safe first."

It wasn't easy for Nekou to take in just what Matt meant by what he said. She had made the remark about being left behind completely seriously, thinking that he'd do the subjectively right thing and pursue Victini instead of worrying about her. Getting told that someone had her back was a thorough shock, so she had to reconcile herself to having others watching out for her.

While Nekou simply stood there trying to process the rapid series of events that had just unfolded, Katorena's Alakazam phased into the plaza. Katorena immediately skittered up to him.

"Alakazam, did you find Olivia and escort her to safety?" When Alakazam responded with an affirmative nod, Katorena turned back to the others. "Now. What is our next destination?"

"I heard Everton say something about an ark," Bunny returned, "so, a ship. He must have a flagship."

"Come to think of it," the blonde added, "as I was coming into port aboard my yacht, I happened to sight quite a massive vessel moored in the city's shipping piers."

"That must be where Everton's gone with Victini," Matt concluded. "So that means we must go there as well."

"Alakazam, I wish for you to escort Nekou and Bunny back to my yacht, where they will be safe."

Surprisingly enough, it was Bunny, not Nekou, that objected to being left behind. "Hey, what about me? Why do I have to stay behind?"

"And you think you can handle yourself out there?"

Answering both Bunny and Matt simultaneously, Katorena explained, "You will be of the most use for us if you stand guard at my yacht. And Matt, I'll give you fair warning not to patronize me. I desire to be a part of the final battle of this adventure, and I am vastly powerful enough to hold my own."

"Okay, I'm swayed." Matt spun around on his heel to address Bunny, asking her, "When you get to Katorena's yacht, radio to Woods and have him make an announcement to all refugees aboard the ships. Have him tell them to send out any Pokémon they have that can use Ice-type moves, then use those Ice-type moves to cool down the air and water."

"Will do. Be careful out there."

"Yeah…" Nekou put in, "if you can't prevent yourself from getting wrecked without my help, that just shows how much you need me around."

Chuckling, Matt replied, "Yeah, it would prove that. Come on, let's get this show on the road."

"Alakazam, I beseech you, use Teleport!"

In a bright flash of light, Alakazam vanished, taking Nekou and Bunny with him. Once they were gone, Matt and Katorena knowingly glanced at each other to confirm their next strategy, and then Matt threw one of his Poké Balls.

"Hethna, make your mark!"

-:-

Everton's vast ship in the harbor had an equally vast bridge constructed inside of it. One third of the immense chamber was taken up by a two-tiered platform structure; the edge of the lower level had a large, three-screened computer against it, at which Fennel was being forced to stay. Baker and his Sawk saw to it that she cooperated while simultaneously guarding Foster, who was tied up and bound to a chair nearby.

In the middle of the bridge chamber was an empty space, and finally, at the other end, a nightmarish device had been constructed. Musharna was imprisoned on a cylindrical pedestal in the center of the device, behind a wall of glass, and around her were all the sleeping Pokémon gathered from the city. The group included several of the Pidgey and Pidove, a pair of Palpitoad, the brown garbage bag Pokémon Trubbish and Garbodor, Poliwhirl, Poochyena, Zigzagoon and Linoone. All of these slumbering Pokémon of various shapes and sizes were slumped in a ring around the pedestal Musharna was trapped upon.

The sound of footsteps on the top level of the platform attracted the attention of Fennel and Baker, prompting them to turn their heads upward. It was Everton entering the bridge with the briefcase containing Victini in his right hand. As he walked to the control panel spread out just ahead of himself with deliberate steps, the door he entered through slid shut.

There was a slot next to the main control panel that was shaped perfectly to hold up the briefcase, and Everton accordingly placed the luggage there. Once it was in place, the sides of the briefcase retraced into the desk, creating a smaller version of the cage Darkrai had been trapped in to contain Victini.

"Captain Everton!" Baker called upward, his voice echoing in the open air of the bridge. "My captain, sir, all preparations are complete, as you can see. The sleeping Pokémon and Musharna have been installed in position and all of the Dreamyarn Inceptor data is now programmed into the ship!"

"Well done. We will waste no further time here. Activate the Dreamyarn Inceptor!" As he gave this order, Everton thrust out his arm, giving the image of a king lording over his land.

"You heard him," Baker coldly said to Fennel. "Turn it on."

"And what if I refuse?"

Fennel had made this remark in such a sullen and halfhearted way that it would be entirely believable if Baker didn't hear her. However, he did, and in response he took a step back.

"Refuse if you wish, my dear. Just don't blame me for what'll happen to you."

As if to back up his trainer's threat, Sawk stepped up, getting right on top of Fennel and lowering his fist next to her head. This was enough to frighten Fennel into obedience, and she started typing lines of code into her computer.

Once triggered, a series of changes took place inside the machine that held the sleeping Pokémon. A half-circle made up of dozens of blue hexagons lit up on the wall of the machine, and dozens more brightened the shape of a full ring on the floor. Both above and below Musharna's pedestal were five large, coffin-shaped panels arranged in circles around the Psychic-type's position; circuitry patterns illuminated on these with an earsplitting cacophony of windchime-like noises. Small amounts of pink smoke surrounded Musharna and the other Pokémon, and a periodic bolt of electricity arced around the machine's confines at random.

_"Dreamyarn Inceptor system activated,"_ an emotionless, robotic female voice intoned. _"Current power output is ten percent of full capacity."_

"See that, Victini? That is my system, and soon you will be a part of it yourself." Victini didn't respond to Everton at all, choosing to instead stare at the Dreamyarn Inceptor with sadness in its eyes. Disregarding the Pokémon , Everton announced, "Raising the anchor now!"

Using one of the keyboards at his own control panel, Everton entered in a complex string of characters, triggering a command that caused the entire ship to shudder. A screen on the console displayed a diagram of the ship's anchor being raised, explaining why the vessel had been shaken.

Right in front of Everton's position at the center of the platform, a hologram of a ship's steering wheel appeared from a projector in the control panel. Meanwhile, a large projection just above the Dreamyarn Inceptor turned on, showing the ship's view outside. Satisfied with all of this, Everton tapped another key, then faced rigidly forward and began speaking.

"All hands, this is your captain speaking. Our voyage is about to begin! The destination is Indigo Plateau. We're on our way!"

Turning off the transmission, Everton crossed his arms behind his back and turned ninety degrees, facing the wall with his eyes closed and Victini behind him. He was lost in thoughts of the past as his fateful voyage went underway.

_"Tobias… you never did understand, no matter what I said…"_

~:~

"They're gone… they're all gone…"

On September 9, 1975, a chaotic scene was unfolding in Tobias's office at the Indigo Plateau. While the governor himself looked as if he hadn't aged or changed his appearance at all since then, Liam Everton and his first mate, Woods, were both much younger. Both naval officers were facing Tobias in his office, but surprisingly enough, it was Liam Everton who was on his hands and knees on the floor, shaking violently.

"We're the only survivors… the entire unit, Governor…"

"Liam, your service to me has been invaluable," Tobias intoned. "After all, that's why I made you a captain and then promoted you to be the top naval commander in my entire military." At this point, the governor's expression darkened significantly. "But… it was under your orders that my men went into battle when they didn't have to, and now they're all dead. Because of this defeat, the Tohjo Continent has lost so much ground against Sinnoh that we have no choice but to give them independence. This happened under your watch. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I had a dream…" Everton never lifted his gaze from the carpet of the office as he desperately tried to justify his actions. "That's what Grandpa always told me… I dreamed that we would find an advantage by engaging those Sinnoh rats there…"

"Well maybe you need to realize that dreams don't always come true!"

Something about that comment caused Everton to snap even further, and he was immediately back up on his feet and gesturing wildly. "Shut up! You don't understand a thing! Were you out there fighting alongside us?"

"Captain Everton, sir…" Woods tried to bring Everton down to Earth by setting a hand on his shoulder, but Everton immediately threw it off.

"No! That's what Grandpa told me – if you believe in your dreams, nothing will stop them from coming true! And he's a great man who's never wrong!"

"You're right about that, Liam," Tobias commented calmly, despite being shouted at. "Your grandfather is a great man. That's why I'm telling you, go home to Whitegold City for a while and work for Becket at your family business. Clear your head. I think you've seen enough war for a while."

"No…" Everton gasped, his body contracting as it went into convulsions. "My dreams are never wrong… we'll find victory over those rats somehow… victory…"

"We're done here. Liam, Woods, please see yourselves out."

Everton was in no shape to carry himself out of the office, so Woods propped up his captain on his shoulder and helped him.

Once they were both outside, Woods asked Everton, "What do we do now, sir?"

"We're not going back to Whitegold City, I'll tell you that much. This war is not over. We're going to find Victini, the only thing on this planet that can guarantee us the victory we will have."

~:~

_"I've been working to find Victini ever since that day, and now, victory is finally within my grasp. Tobias, I'll prove to you that what I said was right by winning this war once and for all!"_

An alarm went off, snapping Everton out of his daze. He returned to his control panel overlooking the lower level, where Baker was observing a radar screen.

"We've got three live targets within radar range, sir!" Baker reported. "They appear to be flying, all three of them. What are your orders?"

"So they're coming… the only question is which ones of them are on their way here." Smirking, Everton called down to Baker, "Give me another report on their movements. Which way are they coming in the ship?"

"They're…" The dots on Baker's radar split out of their closely-knit formation, with one heading for the bow of the ship and the two others toward the stern. "One on the bow, two to the stern. They're probably looking to board!"

With irritation in his voice, Everton responded, "Obviously, Baker. Based on that pattern I'd say they're heading for the sub-decks." Activating the transmitter, he announced to the ship, "Attention all crewmen on the sub-decks… prepare for a combat situation! At least three intruders are on their way, from both the bow and stern!"

-:-

The refugees from the Whitegold Dome had been taken to a cluster of cargo ships a fair distance down the docks from Everton's flagship, where they were distributed amongst three similar vessels lined up next to each other. To shield themselves from the storm, the refugees hid within the ships instead of staying outside on the decks.

Woods, Aurelie, her Gothitelle and Butler's Gardevoir were gathered in the bridge of the center ship, overlooking the pathway out into the ocean. Unlike the bridge of Everton's flagship, which was cavernous and more like a laboratory, on this craft it was simply an office with bay windows. Sonar equipment was installed in some of the computers, while a large desk opposite the windows had a naval map of the world's oceans spread across it. Fluorescent bulbs mounted in the ceiling gave the room a dull, sickly pallor.

Having spent the last several minutes on the ship's radio, Woods put down the receiver and spoke to Aurelie. "Bunny says we have to have the refugees use their Pokémon to cool the air and water, which should head off the growth of the storm."

"That just might work," Aurelie replied, her voice weary with exhaustion from the day-long struggle. "Give the order."

"Gothi," Gothitelle added in her own language.

"Working on it now." In order for the plan to go out to all the ships and thus all of the refugees, Woods had to enter a specific programming code into the transmitter, which took him some time. Once he finished, he held the receiver to his mouth and pushed down on its button, then spoke. "Attention all Whitegold City evacuees, this is evacuation manager Woods. We have developed a plan to try and save the city, but it requires your help. Anyone with an Ice-type Pokémon or a Pokémon that can use Ice-type moves, report to the main deck of your respective evacuation ship. We are going to use Ice-type moves to cool the air and water, which we hope will help cut off the storm!"

Once he was finished with his broadcast, Woods put down the receiver and turned back to a very pleased Aurelie. Both Gothitelle and Gardevoir seemed similarly impressed by his work, judging from their broad smiles.

"Thank you," he said before any accolade could be voiced, "but there's no time now. Gardevoir, Teleport us down to the main deck. We must oversee this directly."

With little more than a slight grunt of agreement, Gardevoir used her psychic power to create a curtain of light around herself, Woods, Aurelie and Gothitelle before they all vanished.

-:-

"They really shot you?"

The cabin of Katorena's yacht was an unexpectedly posh place, furnished with three finely upholstered couches, a large red rug from a foreign land and an ornate wooden table on which a tea set of fine china awaited use. There was also a large and obviously expensive flatscreen television on the wall, but nobody was paying it any mind at the moment. While Bunny watched, Rowena was helping Nekou to lie down on one of the couches. Olivia was resting on another with ice on her ankle where Sawk had kicked her.

"Everton did," Nekou answered, her voice and mind still rattled. "That son of a bitch… he saw something he wasn't supposed to see, they all did, and I'm ashamed they did… but that son of a bitch would have given me one more right in the fucking head if Katorena didn't save me."

"Surely Everton knows how harsh the restrictions on gun use in this country are… even a man as rich as he is wouldn't be exempt. What if…" Abruptly coming to an epiphany about Everton, Rowena gasped and her eyes lit up. It was her sense that told her when she had a big story developing. "He did it because he knows how to get off with never following any laws but his own. He isn't planning to merely hold Governor Tobias hostage using oil and monetary resources, he's going to completely dismantle this country's existing government! But why? What is the true root of his motivation?"

"What are you saying, Rowena?"

Responding to Bunny question, Rowena said, "Do you think there is a GPS system on this craft?"

"Of course," answered the woman while furrowing an eyebrow in confusion, "every seaworthy vessel in this day and age has one. But why would you have need of such a thing?"

"I can connect my computer to the yacht's GPS, which will allow me to use the GPS satellite as a signal booster. With a signal that strong, I can get into even the Everton International network, which we should find an answer within."

"That's a brilliant idea!" Bunny exclaimed. "Let's hurry and do that right away!"

-:-

In order to move the ship, Everton was gesturing with his hands over the holographic steering wheel, controlling it with motion-sensor technology. Below him, Baker continued to monitor their surroundings on his radar screens, while Fennel stared out of the corner of her eye at her beloved Musharna, who was writhing in pain within the Dreamyarn Inceptor. She imagined that her Pokémon must have held feelings of hatred for her at this point, as she had subjected Musharna to Everton's torturous whims, but that could not have been farther from the truth. In reality, Musharna was actually aware of Fennel being forced to do everything she had done, and desperately wished to reunite with her. Though Fennel would never be able to know, Musharna was doing everything she could to be closer to her trainer again, even then.

"Captain Everton, something odd is happening," Baker reported, having caught sight of something while reviewing his collected video feeds. "There are a whole bunch of people and Pokémon on the decks of the ships the citizens evacuated to. It looks like they're collectively using Ice Beam on the waters and Blizzard, Icy Wind and Frost Breath out into the air."

"Put it up on the big screen, Baker."

"Yes."

One brief computer command later, Everton's request was fulfilled. A giant projection of the scene appeared between the platform and the Dreamyarn Inceptor, revealing that in addition to the Pokémon Matt had seen earlier, some of the citizens had contributed two Snorunt, a Glalie, an Azumarill, two Bibarel and an Empoleon to the effort. Much as Baker had described, the Pokémon were divided roughly into two groups – one group was using Ice Beam, directing their freezing energy blasts downward into the water below the ships, while the Pokémon in the other group sending the frigid gusts of their Blizzard, Icy Wind and Frost Breath attacks into the open air.

Without stopping moving his hands over the holographic wheel, Everton said in confusion, "What are they doing? Are they just showing off at this point?"

Unexpectedly, an alarm started going off, sending Baker back to his surveillance monitors. It took him some time to find the source of the problem, but when he did, he exclaimed, "Captain Everton, sir! They're trying to force the anchor back down!"

"What?" Everton gasped, lowering his hands away from the wheel. "Bring it up on the big screen right now!"

A second window materialized on the holographic projection screen, covering the one that showed the refugees and their Pokémon. It was a view of the anchor's opening on the port side of the ship; the double-sided hook was still in its retracted position, but the psychic power employed by the Sigilyph was causing sparks to shoot out from its motor mechanisms as it shuddered up and down by slight margins.

Both Victini and Everton recognized this Sigilyph as Ayingott, but their respective reactions could not have been any more different. While Victini leaned forward and widened its eyes hopefully, Everton stopped steering the ship and slammed his fist down on the control desk, enraged.

At about the same instant that the anchor mechanism completely failed, scattering electricity all over as the heavy iron fell back into the depths, the Victory Star forced another vision into Everton's mind, causing him to collapse forward onto his instrument panel.

-:-

Matt and Katorena were stalking through the cold steel corridors of the ship's subdeck, having entered from the stern after reaching it with Matt flying on the hoverboard and Katorena on Hethna's back. They remained silent until the ship violently rocked, nearly throwing them off their feet.

"It looks like your Sigilyph has managed to accomplish its mission," the rich girl observed. "She should be commended. She is a fine example of her species."

"You sure do know a lot about Psychic-types," Matt joked in response, before adding, "Thank you. Be careful and keep your head down, though. We never know when…"

_"All hands, this is your captain speaking!"_ Everton's voice was thundering from the intercom speakers and echoing down the halls, forcing Matt to cut off his sentence. _"The intruders have entered the subdeck from the stern side! Any and all men responsible for their defeat and capture will be rewarded!"_

Almost instantly, roughly three dozen men, all in matching black suits branded with the Everton International logo, poured out into the corridor. They did not immediately notice Matt and Katorena, and it took about a minute of the group looking around in confusion before they all collectively spotted their targets.

"There they are!"

"You heard what Captain Everton said! Take them down!"

Bursts of light like erupting stars flashed through the hallway, blinding Matt and Katorena briefly. Once the light faded, the shapes of twenty Klink clogged the air in the passage, each one busily rotating its gears.

Katorena readied a Poké Ball of her own, but Matt gestured for her stand down with his arm.

"You don't need to trouble yourself for this one. I've got this handled, easily. Tanya, make your mark!"

Tanya burst from her Dusk Ball to face the horde of Klink, landing on the floor with a loud crash. Taking up much of the width of the hallway, she growled menacingly, as if daring the Klink to attack her first.

"Don't be discouraged!" one of the employees at the head of the group cried out. "Klink, Flash Cannon!"

Apparently, the Klink would all listen to people other than their own trainers if they were Everton International employees. Each one took aim at Tanya and released a burst of light, peppering the Heatran's body with small hits.

Despite the number of attacks Tanya got struck by, she shrugged them off with little a care. She stood her ground steadfastly, then grunted to Matt, asking him to give her a command.

"What? Oh yes, you're right, it's our turn now. Tanya, use Magma Storm!"

Opening her gaping mouth as wide as she could, Tanya expelled a tornado of searing scarlet flames that washed cleanly over the Klink. They could be heard screeching to each other within the vortex unleashed upon them, and outside of the fire, their trainers were in an equal amount of disarray. Finally, the flames dissipated, allowing the steel bodies of all twenty Klink to drop to the floor.

"Well done, Tanya. Return." Matt held up the Dusk Ball, allowing it to convert Tanya back into red energy and draw her back into itself. He then put it away in his bag and said, "You lot were no match for me. Now tell me, how do I reach this ship's bridge?"

Some of the employees in the mob were furious with Matt and Katorena and didn't want to let them go. However, because they all only had a single Pokémon – the standard-issue Klink every Everton employee received – none of them could actually continue to fight. With defeat in his heart, the guard who commanded the Klink army stepped forth to face Matt.

"Just continue the way you're going. The bridge is not far, just continue following the path you're on."

"Thank you. Now, Katorena, let's hurry!"

Without hesitation, Matt and Katorena rushed past the lead guard, through the crowd of his colleagues, and away down the corridor. Once they were gone, the man said to himself, "Captain Everton's going to kill me."

-:-

"It's no good!" Rowena exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air while sitting at her computer.

"What's wrong?" Bunny had been sitting on the couch with Olivia to keep track of the girl's recovery, but Rowena's declaration attracted her over. "Didn't the linkup with the satellite work?"

"Oh, it worked perfectly fine," the reporter answered, gesturing to the cable connecting her computer to the yacht's navigation unit, "but it's what I'm after that's evading me. The Everton building's mainframe is locked up tightly with a firewall so strong that even I can't break it. I'd need a direct link into their systems to even have a shot."

"Am I the only one who knows how to use a little thing called the internet?" Nekou piped up behind them, pulling herself up despite the pains she still felt. Shuffling over to Rowena and Bunny, she continued, "The internet's a magical little place where you can find everything your mind could possibly want, and trust me when I tell you I know what I'm talking about. Intelligence is something you can find, too…"

"Wait, what are you doing?" Rowena was hesitant when Nekou pulled the keyboard away to begin typing with her one good hand, even if the idea she'd come up with made sense.

Nekou's typing brought up a website with a black background. A banner hung on the top of the site, designating it with the name "RChannel" in an elegant red script font, and chains of posts in pale blue bubbles were listed beneath.

"What?" Bunny said in confusion. "How is this going to work?"

"You can find anything on here," Nekou explained. "Everything from recipes to dirty pictures to everything in between. You could say that this website is a sort of black market on information, and the best part is, it's one hundred percent anonymous. Type in whatever username you want, and they'll never know who you actually are. If there's anywhere that can get you the information on Liam Everton's background, it's here."

Rowena and Bunny looked at each other and realized that Nekou's idea made sense. Together they looked at the screen and thought for a moment, then Rowena began typing, beginning with the username 'Cinccino Mistress.'

_"Hello, I am trapped in Whitegold City right now and I need some information. Liam Everton is planning to overthrow the government of the Tohjo Continent for some reason, and in order to try and stop him, I need to know more about his background. Who is he? Why would he want to do something like this? Please help us!"_

Once she was satisfied with her message, Rowena scrolled her cursor over to the button marked 'New Post' and clicked it.

-:-

"We're completely immobile, Captain Everton!" Baker nervously gasped while looking over his status reports. "With the anchor down, we're going nowhere…"

Up at his control deck for the ship, Everton was shaking all over. When he raised his head, it could be seen that blood was dripping even more from his afflicted left eye.

"How long is it going to take to repair that?" he growled.

"It could be an extensive job, sir… all the electronics are fried."

"Damn it! Damn it all! This is only going to give Tobias more time to organize a defense… but still, that doesn't affect me at all. I have the Victory Star, so my dreams will come true…"

Down on the first level of the bridge platform, Foster spoke up for the first time, weakly saying, "Baker, you know you two are going to lose. This was never what we should have used the Victory Star for…"

"Sawk, shut him up." After his Pokémon delivered a crushing punch that left a large bruise on Foster's face, Baker continued, "This world exists for Captain Everton. You know that! Evidently you have forgotten that we swore our lives to the glory of Captain Everton and assisting him in reaching his objective of changing this entire world! What a shame it is that you can't see that. Your shortsightedness will be the reason for your end!"

"I say, it is indeed quite a shame. However, you blue-headed freak, it's you who is shortsighted."

Baker and Sawk whipped around, discovering that at some point, they had been joined by Katorena, who'd arrived without Matt. She was smiling confidently, two of her Poké Balls at the ready.

"You!" roared a surprised Baker, with Fennel and Foster looking on. "You've been evading your rightful fate for far too long. Sawk, go forth and destroy her!"

"Espeon, Beheeyem, appear in my court! Espeon, stop Sawk with Psychic! Beheeyem, use Psychic to free the redhead!"

By this time, Sawk was bearing down on Katorena with his arm cocked back in preparation to hit her with Strength. Espeon came out just in time to use her Psychic to blow him back, while Beheeyem floated over to where Foster was held prisoner. By pointing her arms at his binding and flashing the lights on her fingers, Beheeyem used Psychic to undo the rope and free Everton's now-former employee.

Immediately, Foster jumped up. "Thank you, Beheeyem." Turning his head upward, he rumbled, "Baker, now we have a score to settle. Go, Throh!"

Opposite Baker and his wiry-bodied Sawk, the stout red Throh owned by Foster appeared. Even though Foster stepped up behind his Pokémon to support him, though, Baker just laughed.

"Do you really think you can defeat me, Foster? There's a reason why I'm the one Captain Everton favors! Sawk, use Brick Break right now!"

"Espeon, hold it down!"

Sawk barely had a chance to get ready to hit Throh with his fist before Espeon was set upon him again, this time using her psychic power to merely hold him down. Realizing this was an opportunity, Throh flexed his muscles, creating a ring of jagged rocks around himself. By gesturing toward Sawk, he threw them at his newfound enemy, and this Stone Edge attack cut several gashes into Sawk's blue skin and white robe.

"Keep going, Throh! Use Strength, then Storm Throw!"

"Thuh-roh!"

Throh kept repeating a grunted version of his name as he rushed straight up to the immobilized Sawk, followed by a single loud howl when he delivered a powerful punch to Sawk's face. Finally, he seized Sawk by the arm, pulled him down while simultaneously tripping him, and finally smashed him into the ground.

By the end of all this, Sawk was defeated and lay on the ground fainted.

"Impossible!" Baker cried out, throwing his gaze skyward. "For I, the chosen right hand of Captain Liam Everton, the next ruler of this world, to lose in such a way… I absolutely cannot abide by this!"

"Your rambling is boring to me, cretin," Katorena took a swipe at Baker. "Silence yourself."

While the fracas on the lower level played out beneath him, Everton simply stood over it and observed everything playing out. He was ignoring the blood dripping down his face from his eye, because he knew that Matt was likely on his way to carry out a sneak attack.

In fact, his prediction was right. He heard a voice over his shoulder, which said, "You're a hard man to catch up with, Liam Everton. Now, did you expect me to say that?"

The doorway Everton had entered through earlier was open, and Matt was now standing just in front of it. Though he had open shot if he wished to attack Everton directly, Matt opted to instead stare daggers at the old man's back. Part of this was due to the fact that being so close to the villain who so desperately wanted to destroy and enslave the world for his own selfish gain left Matt a bit stunned.

"Victiiii!" Victini cheerfully squealed upon seeing Matt from its cage. It believed that it would soon be saved from Everton's clutches.

"I didn't expect you to say anything," Everton answered with an eerie calm while refusing to turn around. All Matt could see was the captain leaning stiffly on the control desk with both hands. "I knew you were on the subdeck and that you would come here, though. My Victory Star showed me that… and my Victory Star will be the light that guides me to my dreams."

"Let me ask you one thing, Liam. What did you mean when you said back there that Polaris should have finished me?"

"Just that. I gave those protestors a pass to be at your speech so they would dispose of you. Those cult idiots will try to eradicate anything that doesn't fit in their obsessively narrow worldview. If you were assassinated while presenting the plan for the ALEA system, the world would become nervous and refuse to use it. It's folks like you who stand in my way by denying the future of energy!"

"So that explains it…" Suddenly, everything made sense in Matt's mind. The speech itself was a trap, which meant that if he hadn't agreed to give it, Olivia, Nekou and Bunny would never have been brought into danger from Everton's plan. "I lied, answer another question for me. Why? Why is all of this necessary, just to influence the world's energy market?"

Though his movements were subtle, the way Everton's body constricted communicated the rising anger he was experiencing. "You think in too small of terms… but I would expect nothing else from a piece of Sinnoh scum like you!"

Everton suddenly whipped around, pulled his gun from his belt and pointed it at Matt. His face was contorted into a look of sheer madness, obviously fueled by the flickering Victory Star in his left eye.

"What are you…"

"Shut up! I'll answer no more of your questions!" It truly stunned Matt to see just how fast Everton could go from reasonably sane to completely irrational and screaming hysterically, but he quickly pieced together that his mental state was deteriorating because of the malfunctioning Victory Star's effects. "I've been fighting you filthy snow people for thirty-seven years... be honored that you will be the first to perish on my road to justice!"

With that, Everton pulled the trigger. Matt quickly flinched and closed his eyes, but he realized that something was strangely different – while he had heard the click of the trigger, no bullet was ever actually fired. He reopened his eyes to see Everton repeatedly pulling the trigger to no effect, becoming more and more panicked with each failed shot.

"What is this? Why won't it fire? Damn it!"

After two more failed attempts, Everton tried to fire again, only for his pistol to backfire and explode, pitching him backward over his steering control. He fell screaming right on top of Sawk's already prone form in front of stunned gazes from Baker, Foster, Fennel and Katorena. Up on the top level, Matt first spotted Beheeyem floating in the air behind where Everton had been standing, and pieced together in his mind that she had used her psychic powers to jam Everton's gun. After acquiring that piece of knowledge, he walked briskly over to where Victini was held prisoner and shut off its cage.

"There you go, buddy. That old creep won't be bothering you again." Matt was hopeful that this was not just something he was saying to reassure Victini but the actual truth. He had no intention of complaining at all if this were to be the end of the conflict in Whitegold City.

"Tini!" Victini happily exclaimed, jumping back onto Matt's head and playing with his hat.

His work finished, Matt climbed over the controls for the ship and jumped down to the lower level with Victini, where he spotted Baker, who was helping Everton recover from his fall, and Baker, who Matt didn't realize was now on his side. Reasoning that this fight would be three against two, meaning he and Katorena would be outnumbered, he decided that a strategic retreat would be the best idea to protect Victini.

"Katorena, call back your Pokémon. We have to get out of here!"

"Wait!" Fennel pleaded, tears streaming down her face. "Take me with you!"

"I don't think so," Baker cut in, having suddenly maneuvered next to Fennel. "You leave and Musharna's life is forfeit."

"We'll come back for you, I promise! Musharna too!"

It pained Matt to leave Fennel and Musharna behind in Everton's clutches, but at the moment getting Victini away from Everton was the top priority. Katorena had already recalled Beheeyem and Espeon, so Matt grabbed her arm and pulled her away through the exit.

They retraced the path they'd taken to reach the bridge, past the point where the hall split to lead to the upper and lower portions of the bridge's platform and then the corridors where the battle with the army of Klink had taken place. All the while, their minds were racing – Everton would surely be after them in a desperate last-ditch bid to recapture Victini, and time had to be running out to do something about the storm. On that note, the only thing they could do was pray that their idea involving the refugees and their Pokémon would actually work.

Finally, they broke out onto a small opening at the very back of the ship. The stolen hoverboard still awaited them where it had been left, so Matt boarded it; as for Katorena, Hethna soon appeared to allow her onto its back. Together with Victini, this group departed Everton's flagship, with Katorena's yacht their intended destination.

What they didn't know was that back on the ship's bridge, Everton had recovered. Without so much as a word to Baker, Foster or Fennel, he had walked back up to his control panel and carefully typed in a new command, one which caused the top portion of the platform to rise upward.

A pair of doors on the roof of the part of the ship containing the bridge opened, allowing the platform to rise all the way up until it was fully outside. Despite the raging storm, Everton lowered his head slightly and looked upward with eyes full of vengeful bloodlust.

-:-

"The storm isn't stopping, Butler!" Diane cried out.

While Conkeldurr was holding the relief gate's valve closed, Diane was charged with observing the floodgate visually. Butler sat at the controls of the dam, carefully monitoring the conditions of the structure and the weather for any significant changes.

"The temperature growth has only dropped off by a slight amount, according to this reading. We might be in trouble…"

"Butler! Get out here, we've got an emergency!"

In a flash, Butler was out of his chair and over at Diane's side. She pointed up at the dam, and when Butler squinted at the exact point she'd indicated, he could see a single crack.

"I was afraid of this…" Turning around in a fresh panic, Butler yelled back, "Conkeldurr, let the wheel go! We have no choice but to let the relief gate open!"

Conkeldurr obeyed and jumped back, freeing the wheel up completely.

However, a new problem erupted – after decades of disuse, the old valve was completely rusted over, and at the one time it was completely needed, the wheel jammed and refused to move. Quickly putting two and two together, Conkeldurr tried to help push the wheel in the other direction to open the gate, but it still barely budged.

Right in front of the horrified eyes of Butler and Diane, that first crack in the dam became two. Two became four, four became eight, eight became sixteen, and before long, the entire structure was laced with the jagged breaches.

A terrible, ear-splitting crashing sound indicated the arrival of the worst possible scenario any of those trying to stop the disaster could have envisioned. Unable to stand any further pressure, the dam completely crumbled into bits, leaving nothing standing between Whitegold City and the wall of water that would bring its end.

**END of CHAPTER 5**


	7. Whitegold City's Darkest Hour

This is the final chapter of this story, save for the epilogue. It contains periodic scenes of intense violence, some themes of racism and scenes of disaster that may be traumatizing to some readers.

-:-

**CHAPTER 6:** Whitegold City's Darkest Hour

-:-

The storm raged all around Everton as he stood atop his ship, drenching him with rain while the wind blew his hair and open suit jacket around. While still glaring upward with his head nodded slightly forward, he took out his third, seemingly forgotten Ultra Ball and threw it into the air, calling forth his Hydreigon. Because of the effects of Katorena's Beheeyem's Hypnosis, Hydreigon was still fast asleep while he lay next to Everton.

Pressing the communicator key on his control panel, Everton called out, "Baker, bring up the Dreamyarn Inceptor to sixty percent output, and transfer all available power from the ship to Hydreigon."

"We can do that, Captain Everton," Baker responded from the bridge via the communicator, "but it will take a few minutes to carry out such a large increase in power output."

"That's fine, just do it. Those fools will have hell to pay for standing in the way of my dream…"

-:-

"You're trapped in Whitegold City? Where's Matt Chiaki?"

"Is Matt Chiaki okay?"

"Come on, I saw the news broadcast! Tell me he's okay!"

"Of course he's okay, he has to be. Otherwise I'd have to put a curse on you!"

'The Second Diary Holder' had found the topic posted by Rowena, and much to the irritation of just about everyone else reading the site, decided to attack the thread with their rapid-fire, nonsensical posts.

"Oh hell no, not this bullshit," Nekou sighed, reading the posts from over Rowena's shoulder. "Sometimes people like to troll this site, even when you're trying to get something. That's the one downside."

There were several more posts from the other users scolding 'The Second Diary Holder' for their behavior, which Rowena scrolled past halfheartedly. She stopped short, though, when she spotted a post by someone who simply called themselves 'Sam,' and Bunny and Nekou followed along carefully as she read it aloud.

"It's no wonder you do not have this information, Cinccino Mistress. The government has tried to suppress it because it is embarrassing. What you do likely know is that there was a brief but terrible war in 1975 between the Tohjo Continent and its then territory, Sinnoh. Originally, all three regions were a single unified country, but after the war, Sinnoh split away. That part is still available to the public record. What has been suppressed is why Sinnoh won the war. Their military was comprised of eight units, each one headed up by a Gym Leader, while the Tohjo Continent's forces were a single grand organization under the banner of one leader – Captain Liam Everton. Governor Tobias delegated the responsibility of leading his armed forces in the war to Captain Everton, and weeks later, Everton foolishly led his men into a battle that turned into a complete slaughter. The death toll from that day is still not known and never will be, but it was such an awful defeat that the Tohjo Continent had to immediately surrender and grant Sinnoh its freedom. The responsibility for losing the war was placed squarely on Liam Everton's shoulders."

"Think about this," Bunny whispered once Rowena was done reading, "consider what we know about Everton's plan. If he had complete control over the world's energy supply and disproportionate influence on the financial system, could he not easily make an effort to re-conquer Sinnoh?"

"That makes absolute sense," Rowena realized. She was cowed by the visualization of how far-reaching and yet attainable Everton's goals actually were. "All he has to do is take control of the Tohjo Continent and institute his rule over the entire country. At that point… everything will slowly fall into place. He'll have Sinnoh and then the rest of the world groveling at his feet to get energy and resources…"

"That means we have to keep him in Whitegold City until the cops get here," Nekou mused, before adding with much less sarcasm than Bunny and Rowena would have liked, "or we have to kill him."

"Nobody's killing him. Don't even joke about that." After seeing people getting shot by Everton earlier, Bunny had had her fill of violence for the day.

Lowering her eyelids to communicate her annoyance, Nekou said back, "Killing him would be too boring for my tastes, even if he deserves it. I'm just being realistic here. We have to keep him from getting out of Whitegold City at any cost, because all he has to do to make his dreams reality is overthrow the national government."

"Victiniiiiiiii!"

Having been so intently paying attention to the revelations about Everton's background and their associated implications, Nekou, Bunny and Rowena were caught off guard by Victini's sudden appearance. The Psychic-and-Fire-type Legendary Pokémon flew limply into the cabin and crashed onto the table, but before any of the three women could attend to it, they could see Hethna hover near the side of the yacht, letting Katorena off. In turn, her arrival was followed by Matt rushing into the cabin after landing the hoverboard on the yacht's deck.

"What happened back there?" Rowena exclaimed, not at all encouraged by how exhausted Matt and Katorena sounded as they tried to catch their breath. "Is it finally over?"

"I… don't know," Matt coughed, leaning against the couch.

He hadn't noticed Olivia sleeping on that same couch, so when he put his weight against it, he unwittingly roused her from her slumber. "What…? I'm trying to sleep…"

"Oh, um… sorry, Olivia," he said with an awkward smile. He then noticed the ice that had been on her leg, and accordingly demanded from Rowena, "What happened to her?"

"Everton had his bodyguard's Sawk undercut her legs with Low Sweep. She's alright, but she was just resting."

"That's good, I guess. Are you feeling better, Olivia?"

"Forget about me for a minute, Matt!" Olivia angrily reacted. Having spotted Victini lying on the table, she had crawled off the couch and up to the Pokémon. "Victini is badly hurt! What happened?"

"Liam beat the shit out of it," Nekou answered for Matt, albeit using far more colorful language than he would have. A slight gasp escaped her lips as she remembered something important. "Do you still have those Revival Herbs, Matt?"

It took a second for Matt to realize what Nekou was speaking of, but the memory of giving Hethna and Ayingott the herbs quickly returned to him. He briskly walked over to the table and kneeled alongside Olivia.

"That's a good idea. Olivia, roll Victini over, would you?"

"Right."

Though her ankle was aching again, Olivia bore the pain and carefully turned Victini onto its back before dragging herself back to the couch. The Pokémon was breathing heavily itself, worn from its repeated confrontations with Everton that led to the brutal encounter in the building plaza.

Taking one of the gnarled green herbs from his bag, Matt sighed. "Victini, please forgive me. This herb is terribly bitter, but it'll help you feel better."

Victini weakly whispered its acceptance of Matt's offer, so he pinched off a small piece of the Revival Herb and slipped it into the small creature's mouth. Judging from Victini's disgusted reaction, it clearly hated the taste of the herb, but nevertheless it swallowed the medicine anyway. Almost immediately, Victini jumped up with renewed vigor, coughing and choking out the taste of the Revival Herb.

"It worked!" Olivia exclaimed, smiling. "I guess Victini doesn't like the bitter taste though..."

"Feeling better?"

"Viku…" Victini blandly said to Matt, annoyed with him for giving it the bitter herb.

"It's all good that Victini's better," Rowena interrupted, "but this still isn't over. Matt, you have to understand why Liam Everton is after us."

"After me," he offered in correction. "He baited me here with the speech and then tried to have those Polaris guys assassinate me to further his agenda of discrediting future energy."

"Then it makes even more sense. Liam Everton was the leader of the Tohjo Continent's military in its war with Sinnoh for the latter's independence in 1975. He lead his men into a foolish battle that resulted in them all being ki…"

The sound of static interrupted Rowena's explanation, followed by Butler's frantic voice coming in barely audibly from the yacht's radio. "Rowena, Katorena, Bunny, someone, come in! Anyone, hurry! This is a major emergency!"

Such a panicked transmission was clearly not a sign of good news to the group assembled on the yacht, but it was another sound in the background of Butler's broadcast that deeply disturbed Rowena. She was the only one to make out the sound of rushing water, and accordingly covered the distance to the transmitter at blinding speed.

"Butler, what happened?" Despite her asking, Rowena already had a sinking feeling that she knew the answer to this question. She stared awkwardly at the radio as she held the receiver in her hand, her eyes unfocused from the sudden burst of panic she felt.

"We did our best, but the dam collapsed!" Butler hurriedly replied, confirming the worst fears of all in the cabin; everyone but Rowena herself reacted to this news with a chorus of gasps and worried mumbling. "The city's going to flood unless you do something and do it fast!"

"If only there was some way to redirect the water…" whispered Matt as he wracked his brain for a possible solution. He, like many of the others, were trying to find a way to stop this disaster before it got any worse, but was making no progress.

His comment, however, caused Bunny to have an epiphany. "Rowena, didn't you say that there were drainage gates connected to the underground tunnels?"

"You're right!" The life returned to Rowena's eyes when this realization came to her, but she quickly sobered her allies' breakthrough by warning, "The problem with that is, the only way to open the drainage gates is through the mainframe of the Everton International building itself, and that network's firewall has been repelling every attempt I've made to hack it. I'd need a direct link into the master access computer in Liam Everton's office to be able to get in."

"I'll go," Matt volunteered without hesitation, his voice even.

"It's not going to be that easy!" Butler advised through the radio. "Darkrai and Cresselia are still fighting in the city's airspace and will make it nearly impossible to reach the Everton building in time. Even though they've both suffered grievous injuries from fighting all day, they won't back down until one of them is dead."

"Then I'll just deal with that too. Victini, do you think you can help me get Cresselia to stop fighting with Darkrai?"

"Victi!" Victini responded enthusiastically. It floated closer to Matt and tightened up its small body, showing clear eagerness to help save its beloved friend and their home.

"Here, take this," Rowena said as she tossed a black, rectangular thumb drive to Matt. "Go to Everton's office once you reach the building and put that into the drive. Through it, I will be able to hack into the entire mainframe through his computer, allowing me to eventually open the drainage gates."

"Will do." After putting the thumb drive away in his bag for safekeeping, Matt turned and started walking to the doorway out to the deck with Victini in tow. However, he was abruptly stopped when Katorena grabbed his shoulder to spin him back around.

"And where do you think you're going by yourself? I will not be excluded from doing this."

"No," he firmly answered, shooting Katorena's demand down. "This entire thing is my fault. If I didn't take the bait Everton left me when he set up my speech, we wouldn't have come to this city, and you'd all be safe. I have to do this alone and make right what I've caused."

"Stop trying to get yourself killed," Nekou complained from the couch she'd dropped herself back onto. "You have to realize that there are people here who would be hurt if you died. Don't you get just how much I… Olivia relies on you?"

"It's not like it would be the first time I've been abandoned," Olivia blandly added, "but you're better than to do that."

"Just have faith in me. I will do something to make this right, I promise." Turning to Rowena and Bunny, Matt instructed them, "Contact Woods and Aurelie and warn them about the dam collapse. They should know what they're going to have to deal with soon."

"Right," both women replied in unison.

"I'll be back."

Rushing back out into the storm, Matt hastily stepped onto the hoverboard and lifted it into the air again, with Victini flying determinedly beside him all the while. He also reunited with Ayingott and Hethna, who were still nearby. Together, the four of them departed in the direction of the city's center, hoping to encounter Darkrai and Cresselia.

-:-

"Giovanni, please listen to me," Dr. Zager pleaded with his boss. "Don't worry about exposing my location anymore. You must take charge through your powers as Gym Leader of Viridian City and begin evacuating civilians."

"Ordinarily that would be a preposterous suggestion, Gabriel, but today is a day when the world faces one of its greatest crises ever. In this case, I think that may be very sound advice, because if the world is destroyed, Team Rocket has no subjects."

_00:00:04…_

_00:00:03…_

_00:00:02…_

_00:00:01…_

"_Whitegold City storm has now reached the critical point."_

The distinctly feminine voice of Dr. Zager's computer system was accompanied by a blaring alarm, and the combination of these two things brought forth news that drove Zager into wild-eyed terror.

"We're too late!" he shouted with so much horror in his voice that even Galvantula became visibly afraid. "It's all over! The storm has gone critical, there may be no turning back now!"

-:-

"Get a hold of yourself, Gabriel!"

Giovanni was now standing between his chair and his desk with his atms rigidly pushed down onto the furniture. Stacia was next to him, wearing an inscrutable look partially leaking out the nervousness she felt.

Right about then was when she noticed that the office had gotten awfully dark within the past hour.

"Giovanni, forget evacuating the civilians, you're all sitting ducks now!" Zager continued yelling. "Get them all ind…"

A sudden lightning strike accompanied by earsplitting thunder with the volume of a bomb rocked the mansion. As she was terrified of both thunder and lighting, Stacia screamed and crumpled to the floor, and the lightning caused a power outage that cut the communication between Giovanni and Zager. Now, the office was lit only with emergency floodlights, and the sound of heavy rain quickly began developing outside.

"I'm sorry, Mister Giovanni, sir… I dropped your files everywhere…" Stacia was crying while lying on the floor, but even though it was obvious that her fear of the storm was the cause, she was trying to force it to look like her dropping the files did it instead.

"Now is not the time to worry about dropped office goods," Giovanni stated without even looking at her. "All we can do now is cast our lot with Matt Chiaki's little team and hope we come out as winners."

-:-

"Giovanni, sir? Giovanni!"

Zager's pleading was in vain. Giovanni's window of communication on his computer had cut to static, and it would never return. Slowly accepting this, the scientist walked deliberately to his door, where he put his coat and knit cap back on.

"Come, Galvantula."

"Tula!"

The Bug-and-Electric-type Pokémon skittered up to her owner, then followed him as he walked out the door. After a short walk through a dim and damp cave, they came out in a snowy outpost overlooking a vast winter land, above which a clear and idyllic night sky spread out. Wood cabins and stone relics dotted the landscape in a scattered, sparse fashion, giving the feeling that wherever this location was was really in the middle of nowhere.

Staring at the countless stars in the sky, Zager said to Galvantula, "What a beautiful sky tonight. Perhaps all these stars came out to observe what will become of our world. I hope for our sake that we will live to see another night like this."

Indeed, the situation had truly escalated to a potentially devastating global disaster. Even from space, the storm over Whitegold City was becoming visible, taking shape in the form of a hurricane-like spiral.

-:-

The five coffin-shaped panels above and below Musharna's pedestal moved toward each other and partially closed up around her, sounding the horrible windchime-like noise all the while. Once they stopped moving, the pink smoke surrounding Musharna and the other Pokémon intensified.

_"Dreamyarn Inceptor current power output is sixty percent of full capacity," _the computer droned.

"Now, transfer the power to Captain Everton's Hydreigon."

Fennel hesitated, despite having Baker standing over her again. She had long since figured out what Everton was planning to do with the Dream Energy and Hydreigon, and she had a hard time forcing herself to cooperate with something that used her research in such a way.

"Baker, stop this!" Foster argued, his Throh mimicking his gestures. "This is your chance to step back from the precipice! Don't do what Captain Everton tells you to!"

"And that is why you are someone with no power!" Baker screamed back at his counterpart, his own composure gradually slipping away.

Deciding to more aggressively pursue Everton's orders, Baker pushed in front of Fennel and started typing into her computer. At first, the scientist yelped due to being forced aside, but her ire quickly became focused on Baker's other actions.

"Get away from my machine!" she loudly objected, finally standing up to one of the men who had terrorized her for seemingly so long. "Don't you even realize what you're doing? Hydreigon will go out of control!"

"Like I'd believe anything you tell me!"

Mere seconds after Baker finished his entry of the relevant commands, the computerized voice issued, _"Energy redirection process complete."_

"Baker, what have you done…" Foster said disapprovingly, crossing his thick arms. "You are completely complicit in what Everton's doing now. There are no more chances."

"Who needs second chances?" raved the blue-haired security guard while he stepped away from Fennel and her computer. "A new world order will be created by Captain Everton, and I will be right there alongside him!"

An arch of worry crept through Foster's brow, but he had no chance to verbalize what he felt before the entire ship rocked. This was followed seconds later by another announcement from the computer voice.

_"Storm level intensification detected. Vessel stability systems have been automatically activated."_

"So the storm out there has escalated," Baker said, turning upward and staring at the ceiling. "Even without being able to move, this ship will weather the storm. There's no turning back now…"

Deeply disturbed by these newest developments, Foster and Fennel could only stare at the guard holding them prisoner on Everton's ship.

-:-

Cresselia's Aura Sphere, packed with what strength she could spare, cut through the sheets of rain and collided with Darkrai, who was making little effort to escape. Feeling no hope of surviving the disaster, Darkrai was throwing itself into the last throes of its fight with Cresselia actually hoping to die in battle. The accursed collar around its neck was a sign of Everton's complete control over it, as well as a sign of the seemingly inescapable death sentence Darkrai was locked into.

"Raaaaaaa!" Darkrai screamed, reeling back from the explosive impact of the Aura Sphere. As much as Darkrai might have hoped that it would be the finishing blow, it wasn't, and the Dark-type Legendary Pokémon leveled off in midair.

With a quick flick of its arm, Darkrai sent a Dark Pulse back in Cresselia's direction, clipping her left side. She cried out from the brief spike of pain, but quickly recovered.

Both Pokémon stood still in the air as they stared each other down. Neither of them had the energy left to continue exchanging long-range attacks as they had been doing all day, meaning that there was only one option left. They both came to that same realization as they gazed into each others' eyes.

Darkrai and Cresselia both let out ear-splitting cries, then rushed each other one last time to end the battle once and for all.

Just before they could connect with each other, though, a Golurk rocketed between them and popped its hands out of its arms. It blocked Darkrai with one hand and Cresselia with the other, the three of them spinning in circles together from the force of the combined attacks. After several revolutions, Darkrai and Cresselia finally separated from Hethna, both growling at it angrily.

"Stop all of this!" Matt called out, no longer paying the vicious storm any mind as he glided up on the hoverboard with Victini and Ayingott at his side. "Darkrai, Cresselia, please listen! You don't need to fight just because Liam Everton is forcing you to!"

"Tiniii!" Victini squeaked to add to Matt's statement, launching into a chain of similar sounds to make its plea to Cresselia for the fighting to stop.

While Victini took charge of dealing with Cresselia's half of the battle, exchanging words with the elegant Psychic-type in their own languages, Matt and Darkrai simply stared at each other. Unable to understand why Darkrai simply stopped rampaging from a simple request, Matt probed what information he gleaned from observing the Pokémon for any leads. Darkrai, however, had other thoughts.

"Dar… da… M-Ma…"

Whatever Darkrai was trying to convey was unfortunately lost, as a sudden blast of purple energy sliced through and scattered Matt, Ayingott, Hethna, Cresselia and Darkrai apart.

Having already made his abrupt entrance, Hydreigon floated forward slowly and menacingly. A strange, dark aura was emanating from the three-headed dragon Pokémon's body, and on his back rode his master, Captain Liam Everton.

"So you think you're going to my building, do you?" the wicked old man called out over the sound of the storm. His smile widened from the sense of pleasure he felt from trying to crush Matt's plan. "I don't think so! This ends here, you piece of trash!"

"What did you do to Hydreigon?" Matt shouted back, trying not to let Everton's trash-talking get to him. "It was sound asleep before, and what's that aura coming out of it?"

"This is the Dreamyarn Inceptor's true power!" Everton proudly declared. "The power contained within the dreams of the sleeping Pokémon, focused into Hydreigon… this Pokémon is now the greatest weapon and most useful tool I have, and I'll have more like this later!"

"It doesn't surprise me that you view Pokémon as mere weapons…" Matt mused in disgust.

Deciding the conversation was over, Everton turned his gaze slightly upward. "Darkrai, kill him now! Do it, or have you forgotten what will happen to you if you disobey?"

Despite Everton's warning, Darkrai simply glared at him in silence for several tense seconds. The hatred burning from Darkrai's gaze was so intense it was nearly physical. Finally, though, Darkrai took an action neither Matt nor Everton expected – it grabbed a hold on the collar around its body, and despite the cripplingly painful electric shocks the device sent through its body, Darkrai pulled on the collar with all its strength.

Soon enough, sparks started to shoot from the collar, and the red light on its front began flickering. The sound of crunching plastic accompanied the loosening of the device, finally ending when, with one last burst of force, Darkrai managed to tear the collar completely off.

"Well done, Darkrai!" Matt congratulated alongside cheering from Ayingott, Hethna and Victini.

Reinvigorated by a sudden surge of energy through its body brought on by finally escaping from Everton's control, Darkrai let out a bloodthirsty roar and dove toward Hydreigon with the beginnings of an Ice Beam in its grasp.

"A doll rebels against its master?" Everton scoffed, pulling Hydreigon back. A powered-up Focus Blast took shape in front of the dragon's central head, but when he released the pulsating crimson sphere, Darkrai agilely moved out of the way. However, Everton wasn't done yet. "You will not escape! Victory Star!"

Though the willing invocation of the Victory Star's power caused Everton more pain than ever before, he saw it as a worthwhile trade-off. A light flashed in his afflicted left eye, then the errant Focus Blast curved off its misguided course and back toward Darkrai.

When it was about five feet from striking Darkrai, however, it was suddenly intercepted by Cresselia, who flew in between Darkrai and the Focus Blast. Against her body as a Psychic-type, the Fighting-type attack had little effect. Growling softly, Cresselia shot daggers out of the corner of her eye at Everton and Hydreigon while stretching her body horizontally to shield Darkrai. Victini shifted nervously in the air due to the distress brought on by watching its beloved guardian throw herself into harm's way.

"Teaming up? It's just more trash to dispose of, then! I have no more use for any of you! You want to make it five against one? Fine! Bring it on! I'll destroy you all!"

"No matter what you've done to Hydreigon to weaponize it so severely…" Matt declared with a dramatic flair. He took note of the dull, almost zombie-like look in Hydreigon's eyes as he raised his hand upward, before calling out, "Now! Ayingott, Hethna, Darkrai, Cresselia, courageously go forth and stop Liam Everton's plans!"

All four of the Pokémon Matt called to his aid gave respective declarations of their readiness for the impending battle, positioning themselves between Matt and Everton while Victini stayed close to its newfound human protector. Despite being at a sore disadvantage in terms of numbers, however, Everton plainly did not regard these four Pokémon as a threat and merely steeled his body for the inevitable fight.

Hethna and Ayingott were the first to rush Hydreigon, attempting to come in from opposing sides of the Dark-and-Dragon-type Pokémon's position. Focusing on Ayingott, Hydreigon spat out a stream of fire that was seemingly impervious to the rain as it trailed the Sigilyph in the air. Darkrai interrupted by cutting down part of the Flamethrower with its lightning bolts, allowing Ayingott to escape half of the injury coming to her. Meanwhile, Hethna was attempting to circle around Hydreigon from the other side, only to fail when it was caught by Hydreigon's smaller right-hand head, which clipped it with a separate Flamethrower.

Cresselia then attempted to target Hydreigon with her Signal Beam directly, but on Everton's command, Hydreigon rained down another intense Dragon Pulse against it, forcing the blast back before it could ever reach him.

-:-

The floodwaters coming through the gateway left open by the collapsed dam were already surging through the marshlands and into the poor area of the city. Most structures in the way of the torrent, including Aurelie's home and the charred remains of Woods's shack, simply folded before the water's might. Whatever Pokémon that remained with the ability to fly, such as the Pidove, Pidgey, Ducklett and Swanna, escaped with their abilities. The Pokémon locked to the land or water – such as the single Stunfisk and the remaining Tympole and Palpitoad – were not so lucky, instead getting washed away.

-:-

Hydreigon reeled back in midair, having fended off an attempt by Darkrai to strike him with Ice Beam. From the dragon's back, Everton took the opportunity to grandstand a bit. "This test of the Dreamyarn Inceptor truly is successful! I will have the pleasure of destroying all of those Pokémon and then you, Matt Chiaki, and I'll do it all by myself! My road of victory to the future is now clear of all obstacles!"

"Don't count on it, Liam!" Matt growled through gritted teeth. He had to admit in his mind, though, that things were looking rather bad for him. So far it had proved impossible to break through past Everton and Hydreigon to reach the Everton International building, and if he couldn't accomplish that, then his plans would end up being for nothing. Knowing he had to somehow find a way to create an opening, Matt quickly devised a new strategy for attack. "Darkrai, attack Hydreigon directly with Dark Void!"

"So you're surrendering?" Everton laughed with great pride. "Hydreigon is already asleep! You can do nothing!"

Nevertheless, Darkrai floated in front of Hydreigon, and in his arrogance, Everton allowed it to. It formed a dark orb in between its claws and then threw the black energy. The sphere enlarged when it hit Hydreigon, enveloping both Everton and his Pokémon in pitch-black darkness.

"Now," Matt yelled at the top of his lungs, "Ayingott, Ice Beam! Cresselia, Signal Beam!"

Suddenly, Matt's strategy became clear. As they were still trapped in the orb of darkness, Everton and Hydreigon could not see Ayingott and Cresselia taking up positions flanking them. By the time that Dark Void dissipated, Ayingott and Cresselia had already launched their respective Ice Beam and Signal Beam.

Grunting in frustration, Everton snarled to Hydreigon, "Tri Attack!"

Sparks of fire and ice took shape in the mouths of Hydreigon's right and left heads, while a flash of electricity appeared in the mouth of his center head. The electrical blast blew Darkrai away, while the fire and ice pushed against Ice Beam and Signal Beam in an attempt to force them back. Mere feet from Hydreigon, the combined attacks exploded, slightly hurting Ayingott and Cresselia as well as Hydreigon.

Taking advantage of this, Matt soared down toward the city streets on the hoverboard with Victini holding on to his shoulder. _"If I can stay down near the streets and in between the buildings,"_ he reasoned, _"then I might be able to stay where Hydreigon can't reach me!"_

Not long after he reached street level, though, that line of logic came crashing down on Matt. The shadow of Hydreigon loomed over him, the dragon well within reach of delivering more of its devastating attacks.

"Come out, come out wherever you are, you trash!" Everton mocked from his perch on high. "Hydreigon, Tri Attack!"

Matt was barely able to escape the red, yellow and blue energy field that Hydreigon dropped in his direction; he nearly fell off the hoverboard from the attack's explosion upon hitting one of the office buildings nearby. The glass from the building also shattered, presenting a brief but dangerous hazard.

"Hethna, help me!" he called skyward. "Brick Break!"

Responding swiftly with a mechanical grunt, Hethna quickly rocketed into the picture and took a swing at Hydreigon. However, Everton was more than prepared to pull his Pokémon out of the way, leaving Hethna to crash and punch the helipad atop one of the other buildings.

"It's impossible to sneak attack me!" thundered Everton, directing Hydreigon's wrath in Hethna's direction. The Golurk was still recovering from having crashed on the roof of the building, but to Everton, this simply presented a moment of weakness. "Dragon Pulse!"

"Goluuuuuuhhhh!" Hethna rumbled in pain from the maelstrom of purple energy that Hydreigon unleashed on it. After a minute under the relentless force of Hydreigon's assault, the building began to partially collapse, seemingly taking Hethna with it.

"Hethna!" Matt screamed in dismay. Though upset that he had now lost a little bit of his previous numbers advantage over Everton, Matt was far more disturbed by the apparent loss of a Pokémon only just recently entrusted to him. Pulling the hoverboard back into the airspace over the city, he desperately shouted out, "Liam, please, I'm begging you, see that what you're doing is wrong! Even if the planet's not ready for energy sources to replace oil, that's no justification to do all of this so you can use energy resources to take over another country!"

Everton had to admit to himself that he was at least slightly impressed that Matt had pieced together most of his motives. Despite that begrudging admiration, however, there was no room in him for a sudden change of heart. "So it is only right at the very end that you finally understand," he growled. "To be expected of a piece of Sinnoh trash like yourself. Hydreigon, get ready and finish him off with Dragon Pul…"

A sudden loud, jarring roar interrupted Everton's command, and a second Dragon Pulse shot out of nowhere to collide violently with Hydreigon. The impact flung Hydreigon through the air and threw Everton off his back, sending the captain falling toward the city. With the threat of Hydreigon eliminated temporarily, Matt flew over to the partially collapsed building where Hethna had fallen; he paid no mind to Everton falling and subsequently failed to notice him take a pen-like device from his coat and open it to produce a hang-glider that carried him off in the direction of his flagship.

The roar had come from Butler's Salamence, evidently sent by the magician to aid in the battle.

Already relieved with his assumption that Everton had fallen to the city and perished, Matt got a second bonus when Hethna burst back up from the wreckage of the building, surprisingly appearing to be more healthy than it had seemed to be a few minutes prior.

"How are you feeling, Hethna? Doing alright?" Hethna's short nod was all Matt needed to be assured of its status. He called to Ayingott, Salamence, Cresselia and Darkrai, and they gathered around him before he explained, "I have to make my way to Everton's headquarters. You five stay behind and work together to stop Hydreigon from getting in the way. Alright?"

To a chorus of cheering from the five Pokémon in his service, Matt turned the hoverboard directly toward the Everton International building and glided off to his destination with Victini in tow.

-:-

On the bridge of Everton's flagship, Foster sat in one of the chairs on the lower level near Fennel. He had his head held in his hands and wore a dejected look on his face.

"Was it really all worth it? Was this truly what we dreamed of accomplishing for so long?"

"What do you mean exactly, Foster?" By this point, despite the fact Baker was still trying to lord over the others on the bridge, Fennel had turned away from her work.

"Captain Everton hired both Baker and I off the streets of Whitegold City two decades ago. We were just common street punks who made money by hustling people in battles using our Throh and Sawk until he hired us and gave us real jobs. Needless to say, we – or should I say, I – pretty much blindly supported him in his goal to capture Victini and gain the Victory Star's power. But… looking at everything that's happened now, I can't agree with those ideals any further… I can't reconcile myself with the terrible means and ends this whole plan necessitated anymore. The Victory Star has done nothing but bad things to those who have been pursuing it."

In a sudden moment of extreme anger, Baker punched Foster squarely in the face, knocking the redheaded guard to the floor and eliciting a started shriek from Fennel.

"We swore to always loyally serve Captain Everton, you fool!" raved Baker. He was gesturing wildly while standing over Foster. "If you are giving up on what that means for us, you can go back on the streets and try to live like we used to! Look out there, the results of our quest for the energy of the future are right there before our eyes!"

"You never used to be like this, brother…" Foster gasped, identifying a common bond between himself and Baker that hadn't been apparent before. "Our research may have initiated an apocalyptic doomsday scenario. This just can't be right…"

-:-

Not long after Matt and Victini left the space where the battle with Everton had unfolded, Hydreigon returned and re-engaged Ayingott, Hethna, Salamence, Darkrai and Cresselia in battle. The six Pokémon moved through the air at high speed, cutting through the lower-hanging clouds and launching a frenzied series of attacks against each other.

Nekou, Olivia, Bunny, Katorena and Rowena were watching from Katorena's yacht as Hethna attempted in vain to wrestle Hydreigon down with its huge hands.

"Go for it, Hethna!" Olivia called out. She knew that her words would be drowned out by noise long before reaching Hethna, but she hoped that their spirit would reach it anyway. "And all you others, too! Stop Hydreigon!"

Rowena was a lot less enthusiastic about the whole situation. "Ordinarily I love it when such a sensational story takes place," she mumbled in a depressed manner, "but there is no way anyone could be glad this is happening. This is one exclusive I wish I never had to cover…"

"This is getting to be a little boring, frankly," Nekou complained, her eyes half-closed in what appeared to be a mockery of her own boredom claims. "I want to go read or something."

Just then, the wrestling match between Hethna and Hydreigon separated. Hethna had managed to gain the upper hand in terms of physical strength for a split second, and made the move of flinging Hydreigon down. Unfortunately, the direction Hethna decided to throw Hydreigon ended up being a collision course with the yacht, whose five passengers could only watch in horror as the large-bodied dragon plummeted toward then.

Thankfully, the yacht avoided having its hull breached when Hydreigon crashed into its side. His three heads lowered reflexively toward Olivia, though, which caused her to scream in terror and run to hide back inside the cabin. As Hydreigon pulled himself from the side of the boat, he apprised his potential victims there, but found no reason to be interested in them and flew off to restart the battle again.

Just as Hydreigon left, though, the horrible screeching of metal indicated another problem completely – the Dark-and-Dragon-type's impact dislodged and eventually broke the chain of the yacht's anchor, leaving it in drift.

"Aw, fuck, that can't be good…"

Nekou's words proved to be almost prophetic, as just as they had finished leaving her mouth, the beginnings of the flood waters started to arrive in the harbor. The yacht was rocked violently by the waves, with Nekou, Bunny, Katorena and Rowena all holding on to the railing for dear life. The situation got even worse when a sudden surge in the water's level washed the yacht up onto the dock, where it started getting carried inland by the flood.

"Everyone, get in the cabin!" To illustrate her direction, Bunny grabbed Nekou's right shoulder and guided her toward the cabin's doorway. While Katorena and Rowena followed, Bunny added, "If we stay out here, we'll be thrown overboard. We have to get our lifejackets on in case this yacht capsizes, but staying out on the deck is suicide either way!"

-:-

Even while the violent tide rapidly rose beneath them, the ships acting as refuge for the city's citizens and tourists stayed stable thanks to their own anchors still being deployed. The evacuees in control of their Ice-using Pokémon struggled to stay on their feet to lead the effort, but they managed to show surprising resilience in the face of the storm.

Standing side-by-side on the deck of the center ship, Woods and Aurelie watched as the black clouds covering Whitegold City congealed rapidly into a new and more defined shape. A giant spiral was taking form in the sky, with the storm's eye centering right over the vicinity of the old church where this had all started when Everton absorbed the Victory Star. A starry night sky could even be seen through the eye, which connected all the way from the city to the open air above the storm system.

"Will Whitegold City survive?" Aurelie mused quietly to herself. "Will _[i]we[/i]_ survive?"

Before Woods could answer, his personal response was almost decided for him. During the brutal struggle unfolding between Everton's Hydreigon and the Pokémon opposing it, one of Butler's Salamence's Hyper Beam attacks went astray and struck the side of the ship right near where Woods and Aurelie were standing. The blast caused the ship to rock sharply, sending Woods plummeting into the danger of falling overboard.

"Aurelie!" he howled in a desperate frenzy, reaching out for anything that would break his fall. "Help me!"

Luckily, just as his body flipped over the railing and got ready to fall to the water, Aurelie's Gothitelle rushed out from behind her trainer and caught him using her psychic powers. With the ship now stable again, Gothitelle dropped Woods carefully back on the deck.

"Are you alright, Woods?" Aurelie asked. When she didn't get an immediate response, she repeated, "Woods? You are okay, right?"

Visibly shaken by his near-death experience, Woods remained silent until he finally snapped and embraced Aurelie tightly. "All of this is happening because I trusted Liam too much and denied to myself the path he was taking! I can't take any more of these horrors brought on by my own foolishness!"

"Stop talking like that!" the old fortuneteller reprimanded. "The only one at fault here is Everton. No one else deserves any blame for these disasters unless we fail to stop them." Turning her gaze up to where the Pokémon were fighting, Aurelie directed, "Gothitelle, join the fight. Do what you can to help them defeat Hydreigon."

"Gothi, telle!"

Gothitelle levitated and bravely floated off toward the battle, showing no fear in her resolve to help just as Aurelie had directed her.

-:-

With great haste, Matt guided the hoverboard down to the concrete just outside the entrance of the Everton International building. He was singularly focused on accomplishing the mission he had devised with Rowena, and was fully aware that the survival of the city very well could depend on it. He landed and deftly jumped to the ground, then made for the automatic doors into the building while Victini silently followed him.

What he found when he got into the lobby, however, surprised him immensely. Midori Makise was still at the building, and she was arguing with the sour-tempered receptionist at her desk.

"Kyoko, you have to listen to me. This is no laughing matter, the city's in grave danger and you could die if you don't leave now!"

"I haven't been dismissed from work yet," Kyoko, the receptionist, countered. "Nothing will get me away from my job. What I do is important and cannot simply be abandoned, and your status is the same. Why are you leaving your post?"

"She's leaving because her life is even more important than her job," Matt interjected, swiftly moving over to the desk where the two women were.

"Matt Chiaki?" Midori said in surprise. "Why are you here of all places?"

"Because I need to get into Everton's office and access this building's mainframe through his computer."

"I will not let you do such a thing!" Kyoko raged. "Nobody is allowed in Captain Everton's office without his permission, and most certainly no one is allowed to access his computer…"

"The city's fate rests on whether I can pull this off in time or not! Listen, there are floodwaters rushing toward us right now from the collapsed dam. This entire city is going to sink into the sea soon if something isn't done! Now… where is Everton's office?"

Neither Midori nor Kyoko responded to Matt's plea at first. However, Midori quickly made up her mind, seizing the wrists of both Matt and Kyoko and dragging the surprised pair to an elevator just behind Kyoko's desk.

"What are you doing, Midori?" demanded the receptionist. "Have you lost your mind?"

"I haven't lost my mind," Midori answered while opening the doors into the elevator, "but I have lost my faith in Captain Everton, and that's why I'm helping Matt. Now, get inside!"

Midori pulled Kyoko into the elevator, while Matt and Victini entered of their own free will. Appropriately for an elevator created only for certain people to use, the car was lavishly outfitted with the same trappings as the lobby of the building. Unlike most elevators, though, there were only two buttons next to the door, and Midori pressed the top one.

-:-

Foster, Fennel and Baker had a front-row seat to the battle taking place outside their ship via the huge projection screen on the bridge. They were able to see Aurelie's Gothitelle arrive in the fight and immediately begin attacking by using Shadow Ball.

Hydreigon effortlessly shook the Shadow Ball off, but when Salamence, Ayingott and Darkrai ganged up on him using Hyper Beam, Ice Beam and Thunder, it took an extremely focused Tri Attack for him to push back without suffering significant injury. What this did do, though, was leave Hydreigon open for Hethna to fly in and punch him squarely in the stomach using Brick Break.

"Yes!" Foster exclaimed. "What a hit!"

"At this rate, they will steadily wear Hydreigon out," Fennel felt compelled to add. "We may very well win this fight."

Baker wasn't so excited, however. He watched the developing struggle with a continually escalating feeling of sickness in his stomach, and that sickness was not over anything helpful, it was over the chance that Everton might fail. A sudden wave of irrational anger swept over him, and while mumbling incoherently, Baker dragged himself over to Fennel, physically lifted her out of her seat and threw her to the floor.

While Fennel screamed, Foster and Throh could only gasp in shock at how insane Baker's actions were becoming. "Have you lost all of your standards, brother?"

"I have not lost any of my standards, instead, my standards just happen to be different than yours. I think it's time I made that completely clear!"

Sweeping his fingers over the keyboard of Fennel's computer, Baker entered a command that caused the glowing metallic shell around Musharna's pedestal to close up even further while sounding the deafening windchime noise. Just like before, the clouds around Musharna and the other Pokémon got even thicker.

_"Dreamyarn Inceptor current power output is eighty percent of full capacity."_

"Munna, use Telekinesis!"

Before he could celebrate his actions, Baker was caught off-guard by a light-green glow surrounding his body, the source of which was a pink, flower-patterned Pokémon strikingly similar to Musharna that Fennel had sent out. Baker did not immediately realize that the effect of what Munna was doing was actually levitating him off the ground, rendering his attempts at movement hopeless, but when he did realize it, he became visibly enraged and tried to claw through the air toward Fennel.

"Muuunnaaaaaaaa!"

By stretching out her body, Munna allowed her psychic power to throw Baker upward, crashing him over the control panel for the ship on the upper part of the bridge.

"Take that, you creep!" Fennel yelled after him. She felt a great sense of satisfaction at having beaten Baker and taken some revenge for everything.

"Excellent work, Fennel!" Foster congratulated her. "Now, can we bring this system under control?"

"I don't know," she answered, sitting back down at the computer. "It was never meant to be used in this way, so I'm not totally certain how to handle this."

-:-

The aura surrounding Hydreigon had intensified when he received more power from the Dreamyarn Inceptor, and in turn, his attacks had become even more vicious as well. Ayingott, Hethna and Cresselia tried to strike him in a group, only to be stopped by a Dragon Pulse that also completely destroyed an office building on the ground below.

This also presented what seemed like an opening to Darkrai, and it took advantage of the chance by getting behind Hydreigon and shooting a doubly-strong Ice Beam at the dragon's back. While it did hit, even leaving behind some frost on Hydreigon's wings, he once again seemed completely unfazed by the damage. He whipped around violently and immediately shaped a Focus Blast orb for use in striking back against Darkrai, but like before, Cresselia took the attack to protect Darkrai by diving into it with her head aglow in a Zen Headbutt attack.

Hydreigon would have none of this, though, and brutally cut Cresselia down by enveloping her within the raw energy of a Dragon Pulse backed by unprecedented force. The Legendary Psychic-type Pokémon, critically wounded, was left to plummet to the city below as it quickly filled with water.

-:-

"Tinicu?"

Apparently sensing Cresselia's defeat, Victini became noticeably agitated while riding up in the elevator with Matt, Midori and Kyoko. It pressed itself up against the wall of the elevator closest to the battle outside, then, unable to check its emotions any longer, began crying.

"What's got Victini so upset?" Kyoko asked in a rather demanding fashion.

"I think I have an idea…" Matt lowered himself to Victini's level as he spoke. "What's distressing Victini so much… out there, Cresselia just got hurt pretty bad, didn't she?"

"Viku!" Victini responded, bobbing its head shortly to show just how right Matt was.

"Everything's going to be alright, Victini, I promise. As soon as we get to the right floor, I'll help fix things so that this city can survive, and then we can see about making sure Cresselia's alright too. You just have to believe that everything is going to be okay, alright?"

Significantly cheered up by Matt's encouragement, Victini jumped onto his head, an action that elicited amused, subtle laughs from both Midori and Kyoko.

Just then, the elevator arrived at the top floor of the building with a rather abrupt stop that shook up its passengers. When the doors gave way to reveal Everton's opulent office, Matt found his desk and computer nearly immediately, then quickly walked over to them with Victini while Midori and Kyoko followed at a slower pace. Rainwater dripping off of his suit left numerous stains on the carpent, while the tall windows that wrapped around much of his office gave a hypnotic, nearly dizzying effect when combined with the torrential rain rolling down them and the periodic flashes of lightning illuminating the sky.

Matt shoved Everton's chair aside to make room behind the desk, sending it crashing to the floor. The computer on his desk had been left unused for a number of hours straight, leaving it in a sleep mode that demanded a password immediately upon Matt rousing it.

"Another password? Let's see…" he mused, taking guesses out loud. "Victini… Darkrai… petroleum… Klinklang… Cryogonal… Hydreigon… dreams… victory…"

The moment Matt typed the complete word 'victory' into the computer and hit the Enter key, the password screen gave way to the programs Everton had been using earlier set against his silver-and-blue wallpaper. After sighing wryly to himself over the continued simplicity of Everton's passwords, Matt reached into his bag and took out the flash drive, which he installed in the computer's drive just as he had been instructed.

"That ought to do it," he said, half to himself and half to Midori and Kyoko. "It's all up to Rowena now, but she should be able to solve this, no problem."

He thought he heard footsteps, but believing them to belong to either the news anchor or the receptionist, Matt did not pay them much mind at all.

He would have been well served to see the sound as a warning.

Before either Matt or Victini could move away from the desk, an orange electrical beam shot across the office and struck the Psychic-and-Fire-type Pokémon. Matt lunged across the desk and grabbed Victini, but the beam refused to let up and wrenched the Victory Pokémon out of his grip, even as he lie on the floor struggling.

Victini was carried back to the source of the beam, which much to Matt's horror, was a wrist-mounted weapon being used by a completely disheveled Liam Everton. Once he had the Pokémon within his grasp, he collected it and threw it back into the special briefcase used to contain it earlier.

"My victory is inevitable," he said slowly and severely while looking down the slope of his nose at Matt. "With no dreams, you will never be able to stop me. Now perish in a grave at the bottom of the ocean."

Though Matt had managed to get back up to his feet, it was far too late to stop Everton from turning abruptly and escaping using a doorway previously unnoticed.

"He's heading for the heliport on the top of the building…" Kyoko warned nervously, having remained silent with Midori until this point. "If he gets a helicopter, there'll be no stopping his escape!"

"Stay on one of the upper floors!" Matt directed the two women as he ran frantically past them.

Past the door that Everton escaped through was a stairwell of great length, quite clearly going all the way up to the tower's roof. Matt spotted Everton just under one story up from the beginning of the path, and with a desperate resolve to not let him get away with Victini at the forefront, rushed forth in pursuit.

-:-

Nekou, Bunny, Olivia, Rowena and Katorena, all wearing bright yellow lifejackets, were struggling to stay on their feet in the cabin of the yacht as it was tossed violently in the waters flooding Whitegold City's streets. Especially bad was whenever the yacht struck a building or other structure, as the violent shaking of the vessel rendered it completely impossible to stay up at all. Nekou had it worst of all because of her injured shoulder, which forced Rowena to help hold her up.

"Make it stop!" Olivia cried in distress. "Someone just make this whole thing stop! I can't take any more!"

"It has to stop soon," Bunny revealed darkly, "or at least before we get washed to the open ocean on the other side of Whitegold City. If that happens, we'll be in real trouble."

"Do you feel that?" Nekou suddenly asked, seeming to not pay any mind to Bunny's opinion.

"You're right," replied Rowena, "the ride's suddenly smoothed out. That only could mean… we're on a wave! Brace yourselves!"

This guess was exactly correct. A tongue of water was pulling up from the main flood tide, and it just happened to be under the yacht, which was thrown into the air for a short time. It crashed onto the roof of one of the office buildings, throwing all its passengers to the floor in a chorus of horrible screams as it finally settled into a position above the rushing flood water.

-:-

Matt had managed to close the distance between himself and Everton to only a few feet by way of being better with stairs, but he just could not catch up completely before they reached the final level.

Without turning around, Everton crashed through the thin door just ahead, closely followed by Matt. The two were now on the partially-enclosed roof which doubled as a heliport; the covering overhead was opened to the stormy sky, and Everton's huge helicopter sat on the pad with its engines running and cargo hatch door lowered to form a ramp.

"Stop, Liam!" Matt called out, even though he knew it was in vain.

"Never!"

Everton sprinted up the ramp into the cargo hold of the helicopter, which then began to slowly close. Seeing his last chance to stop Everton slipping away, Matt lunged for the ramp and managed to catch himself by the midsection on it. He then realized that he had to be all the way in before the hatch fully closed, so with great effort, he pulled himself over the edge and tumbled down to the metal floor just in time.

Matt tried to regroup, but he hesitated for a moment when the entire helicopter shook. _"It's taking off,"_ he realized. _"Must be on autopilot."_

Finally rising to his feet, Matt took a deep breath and then looked forward. He was now standing face-to-face with Liam Everton, the man behind the disasters consuming the entire planet, and neither of them had anywhere left to run.

"This is it, Liam," Matt said, putting words to his thoughts. "It ends here."

"You're right about that," Everton smugly answered, tapping the case containing Victini with his foot. "All the pieces are now assembled in my favor, so the victory of my dreams is finally attainable! It really is a pity that even in the end, you could never appreciate my genius."

"Genius?" Curling his eyebrows and lips in disgust, Matt completed his thought by saying, "You're nothing but a madman! Risking the destruction of the entire world to accomplish some selfish goals is completely insane!"

"I'm no madman, I'm a hero, but I wouldn't expect some trash from Sinnoh like you to understand that. I am saving this world!"

"Sure. Like I haven't heard that before."

"That is truly my dream!" Everton continued to protest. "Do you want me to spell out everything for you? Fine! My intention, now that I have the Victory Star, is to first take over the Tohjo Continent by taking control of the Governor's office. Then, I'll use my Victory Star to find all oil fields on the planet, and by using my newfound control over the world's energy market, I'll take over Sinnoh and then the rest of the world by forcing them to accept my will in exchange for oil. One by one, regions will be incorporated into my new nation, and once the entire world is a part of my country, there will be peace through unification!"

Everton's eye had started bleeding again, which Matt noticed when the old man whipped his head upward.

"Isn't that what I told you I always dreamed, Grandpa? My dreams are finally within reach, just like how you explained it! Never again will there be conflict between nations! I will have brought peace!"

"Liam, you're mad…" Matt gasped once Everton's rant was finally done. "You see, the thing about peace is, it's completely unknowable. People will always be bitter about things in the world. You cannot placate billions of people all at once, especially by driving them into poverty so they'll beg for your energy resources."

"The means are justified by such an end! No matter what I have to do, the redemption of the world is a high payoff that could never be equaled by anything!"

"Do you even hear yourself?" Matt's one visible eyebrow was raised up about as far as it could go, while the eye beneath it had narrowed. All of this was an expression of the intense frustration and anger Matt felt while trying to understand Liam Everton's intentions. "You're only trying to justify your actions. None of this altruistic 'save the world' crap is really what's on your mind, not with the sheer number of people who would be driven into desperate poverty for your plan to work."

Everton shut his eyes, surprisingly calmly so, and crossed his arms behind his back. "You're right, I have to give you that much. It is all necessary, however. Only by being driven into crushing poverty will those other pathetic nations come to understand just how much they need what I have. The Tohjo Continent is the greatest country on the face of this Earth, and that fact shall be made perfectly clear in time. Any nation that falls into poverty is merely fate playing itself out as it should, because it will just prove that mine is the superior country."

"Answer me one thing, though. What was the point of cheating the stock market today?"

"Startup money, of course. Taking over the world ain't cheap."

The shooting pain in Everton's head suddenly returned as he finished that sentence, causing him to open his eyes, lurch over and grasp his face over his left eye. Drops of blood coursed down his face and dripped to the floor, each one tapping lightly when it struck the ground.

"Victory Star, what are you showing me now?" Whatever Everton was seeing caused him to become increasingly upset. His entire body spasmed as he choked, "What… what…? No… it can't be! It just… can't be!"

"What?"

Whipping around, Everton hit a button on the control console to turn on the large video screen overlooking the cargo hold. It displayed a well-groomed man likely in his fifties who was wearing a brown suit and sitting behind a glass desk.

_"Our biggest story tonight continues to be the unfolding global disaster centered around Whitegold City in Kanto. On that note, we have some breaking news to bring you. New information has implicated Captain Liam Everton, the president of oil giant and banking company Everton International, as the cause behind the entire disaster. Effective immediately, all of Everton's assets have been frozen, including the hundreds of millions of dollars he is accused of defrauding from the stock market, and a warrant has been placed for his arrest by the International Police."_

"No… no… my victory, it can't escape me now…"

"Hah!" Matt laughed, making the mistake of getting overconfident again now that things seemed to be going in his favor. "That's it, Liam, you have nowhere to run now. Your money's gone and with an elite law enforcement organization on your tail, you have no way to implement your plan. Face it, you have lost."

The mistake Matt had made was that while he was correct in believing he had Everton cornered, he never factored in that a cornered animal could still very well strike back.

At first, Everton just growled and lowered his head. After a moment, though, he suddenly whipped back up and tore the two remaining Ultra Balls from his coat. "My dreams will come true! Nothing will stop me! Klinklang, Cryogonal, come out and destroy this pest once and for all!"

-:-

After crashing through the countless office buildings of the city's rich business district, the wall of water flooding the city collided with the Everton International building. The glass making up the front of the lobby could not hold up for long against the immense pressure put on by the water and soon shattered.

The lobby filled with water in only a few minutes. All the electronics in the ground-floor room, including the bank of monitors telling Everton's history and the giant illuminated logo behind Kyoko's desk, shorted out. Something similar happened in Fennel's basement lab, which quickly went dark as the water poured in.

It was lucky that the Whitegold Dome had been evacuated, for at that point, it was flooding as well. The game field was already covered, and the water was working its way up the seats row by row.

-:-

Tanya was the only battle-ready Pokémon Matt had available at the moment, so he was forced to fight off Klinklang and Cryogonal using her alone. Actually, though the fight was nominally two against one, Cryogonal was holding back due to a lack of moves effective against a Heatran, so truly it was Tanya versus Klinklang.

"Klinklang, use Rock Smash now!" Everton fumed.

"Tanya, Magma Storm!"

For being a living, floating network of gears, Klinklang displayed surprising agility in floating out of the way of the vortex of flame Tanya sent in its direction. Its own attack simply involved crashing into Tanya while rapidly rotating, and it managed to make a small gash in the steel armor protecting her head.

_"I didn't want to have to do this, but I have no choice,"_ Matt thought, slowly drawing his hand to a spare Poké Ball in his bag. "Go, Reuni…"

"Not so fast! Cryogonal, Bind him!"

Like earlier at the church, Cryogonal whipped its ice chains forward and ensnared Matt within their grasp. He started shivering almost immediately, the cold pervading his body right down to the metallic bone.

"The one thing this body can't stand is the cold…" he whispered to himself. "I'm in trouble now…"

Unluckily for him, Everton overheard his mumbling. A broad, cocky smile spread across the old captain's features as he turned his head upward and shouted, "Cryogonal, now attack with Frost Breath. Finish him off yourself."

"Cryo?"

Matt had shut his eyes in preparation for the cold blast that would spell his death, but it never came. Cryogonal, unable to carry the order out, hesitated.

"Did you hear me, Cryogonal? Do it now! Kill him!"

Cryogonal's hesitation presented Matt the perfect chance for a comeback. "T-Tanya… get them! M-Magma Storm!"

Being trapped in position because of having to hold Matt in Bind, Cryogonal was a sitting duck right in Tanya's line of sight, while Klinklang just happened to have floated nearby as well. As a result, when Tanya opened her mouth and belched out the violent tornado of fire, it caught both Pokémon up in its intense heat.

Now freed from Cryogonal's grasp, Matt ran over to Tanya and embraced her, allowing the heat of her body to warm him. This show of affection wasn't lost on Tanya, who, despite her intimidating appearance, was somewhat excitable and childish and as such loved the attention she got.

On the other side of the hold, however, the scene was very different. Klinklang and Cryogonal had crumpled to the floor, and Everton was even further enraged by this.

"Get up, you useless Pokémon! Kill him now! Do you understand? I am your master! You follow my commands!"

Klinklang and Cryogonal rose into the air again, but they were angry. It wasn't Matt that was the target of their ire, though, it was Everton; they simply continued floating in place and refused to attack further.

"You disobey me? Fine, I don't need you two anymore!" Pulling out the empty Ultra Balls that represented his control of Klinklang and Cryogonal, Everton threw them to the floor and smashed them under his foot. "Consider that your walking papers! Hydreigon will be the only weapon I need now to make my dreams reality!"

After returning Tanya to her Dusk Ball, Matt stepped forward and said, "So you've released your only two other Pokémon, which means you have none left. I'd say you've lost, Liam, so hand Victini back to me."

"NEVER!"

Matt could never have expected Everton to lunge straight for him, so as a result he flinched before he could get away, and Everton got his hands tightly around Matt's throat.

"Do you think you can ever defeat me, you trash? Even with that body of yours, you still have to breathe, so if some useless Pokémon cannot kill you, I'll do it with my bare hands!"

There was plenty of truth to what Everton said; Matt was already beginning to feel faint from lack of air. It didn't matter much, though, for as soon as Matt recovered his grip on the situation, he separated himself from Everton by kneeing the old man in the stomach. Once free from Everton's grip, he had a short time of complete freedom, and as he knew he had to seize it, he headed for the sealed case entrapping Victini and opened it.

"Viku! Viku! Tiiiii!" Victini was quite obviously overjoyed to be free again, and expressed its excitement by grabbing onto Matt's head once more.

"It's over, my friend. You won't have to worry anymore about Liam Everton terrorizing you."

"Is that right?"

A sudden, swift punch connected with the back of Matt's head, knocking him forward and flinging Victini through the air. It didn't cause him much pain, but it was still enough to stun him momentarily.

"Do you really think that will be enough to get me, Liam?" Matt abruptly swung around, directing his elbow as a weapon, only to find that Everton was no longer directly behind him. "Huh?"

"Too slow!" Everton laughed before delivering another punch, a right hook straight to Matt's cheek.

The right hook was more forceful than the first sucker punch was, causing Matt to reel back. He eventually tripped backward and crashed against the control computer, accidentally activating a command in it. A terrible creaking sound filled the air as the loading hatch ramp lurched open, making their struggle even more dangerous. Matt spied the now-open hatch out of the corner of his eye with great concern, but he had no time to be worried about anything other than himself. Before Matt knew it, Everton had his hands around his neck again.

"Sssh. Things will be over very soon. You just had to get involved personally with the fates of the people of this city… that is what will be the reason for your death. I would have expected better from a genius like you."

"It's… not… over yet!"

Feeling a sudden burst of energy, Matt pushed back against Everton, forcing their struggle back into the middle of the cargo hold. Everton was still trying to choke him, but now Matt was fighting back, attempting to shove Everton away.

While the two men tried to subdue each other using as much strength as they could muster, the clash pitting Hethna, Ayingott, Gothitelle, Salamence and Darkrai against Everton's mind-controlled Hydreigon was still unfolding outside.

Hydreigon was doing a decent job keeping up with his five opponents by using all three of his heads. With Hethna and Gothitelle on his left flank, Salamence and Ayingott on the right and Darkrai facing him straight ahead, he unleashed Flamethrower and Dragon Pulse toward the left and right. The four Pokémon separated in order to avoid these two attacks, but as a direct result of their evasive maneuvers, Gothitelle and Salamence united with Darkrai right in front of Hydreigon.

Having three targets within direct, easy grasp was too much of a tempting opportunity for Hydreigon to pass up, and he attempted to deal them all powerful blows at once using Tri Attack. However, when they moved out of the way, a new target appeared right in the line of fire.

It was Everton's helicopter.

In the chopper's cargo hold, Matt and Everton were still locked in their desperate, hand-to-hand struggle while Victini, Cryogonal and Klinklang watched. Both of them managed to land strikes on each others' faces at the same time, resulting in them being pushed away from each other.

"You're no slouch, Liam, I've got to give you that much."

"The Victory Star grants me youthful endurance, so it's no surprise."

Just then, the misguided Tri Attack plummeted into the side of the helicopter and exploded violently, causing critical damage to the craft's structure. As pieces of metal showered down onto the flooded city, the helicopter began spinning out of control, having had its engines heavily damaged by the impact.

When the entire chopper rocked back, it caused both Matt and Everton to lose their footing inside the cargo hold and fall – Matt backward, Everton face-first – out into the open air over the city. Nothing remained for either of them to catch themselves on, and neither had any equipment to use to save themselves from a freefall into the flooded streets.

_"Is this how it ends?"_ Matt thought to himself, while watching the helicopter spin out and crash some distance away. _"Not even this body stands a good chance of surviving this fall… and even if I do make it, I won't be able to escape the floodwaters. Olivia, Amanda, I'm sorry, but I'm going to be with Eleanor now."_

Accepting his seemingly inevitable death, Matt shut his eyes in an attempt to find peace in his demise. However, even that would evade him, due to a trio of familiar voices ringing in his ears.

"Victiii!"

"Cry-ogo~!"

"Klangklang!"

Opening his eyes again, Matt spotted Victini diving down through the air toward him, and surprisingly enough, Cryogonal and Klinklang were behind it. Cryogonal lashed its ice chain downward and wrapped it around Matt's leg, abruptly breaking his fall.

"Victini!" Matt gasped in relief. "Cryogonal, Klinklang! Thank you, all three of you…"

Because Klinklang and Cryogonal had betrayed him to save Matt, there was nothing Everton could do to change his fate. As he screamed at the top of his lungs, he fell all the way down to the flooded streets of the city and hit the water; because of the youthful endurance granted to his body by the Victory Star, he did not die on impact. Instead, he turned right side up again and attempted to swim to safety, only to find that the current was far too strong. He could do nothing but flail helplessly as he was washed into an opening leading into the underground tunnel system.

"There's nothing more we can do about him," Matt coldly commented, still hanging upside down by his leg and holding on his hat. From this vantage point, he could see over much of the water-filled city, through which objects ranging from broken pieces of destroyed buildings to shipping containers from the harbor were floating. Having noticed Katorena's yacht sitting on the rooftop where it had been dropped, he said, "Cryogonal, please take me over to that yacht. That's where I need to be."

-:-

"Come on… come on…"

Rowena was working furiously on her computer, but was clearly very frustrated and tense with what she was confronting, a fact made evident by the beads of sweat rolling down her furled face.

"Rowena, what is the impediment?" Katorena demanded impatiently. "Should the drainage gates not be open already?"

"His mainframe has thick layers of protection shielding the route to the drainage gate opening trigger," the reporter explained. "I should be able to crack this, but I need more time."

"That's something we don't have much of," mumbled Nekou.

"Tell me something I don't know!"

A crashing sound outside on the deck of the yacht caused Katorena, Olivia, Nekou and Bunny to turn in surprise, while also distracting Rowena from her work.

"What was that?"

"I'll go find out, Olivia."

Bunny made for the door, but before she could open it, Matt opened it from the outside and stumbled in with Victini right alongside him. He was quite a sight to the quartet, with his clothing soaked and torn from the lengthy struggle against Everton both in and out of the rain.

"Your appearance has turned so unbecoming." Though both Matt and Bunny initially cringed at Katorena's seemingly caustic comment, they both quickly realized that she meant no harm by it. "What happened to you out there?"

"The long version or the short version?" Matt sighed, before automatically settling on the latter option. "Everton survived falling off of Hydreigon and tried to recapture Victini, but when we were fighting on his helicopter, something happened that caused it to crash after we were both thrown off. His Cryogonal and Klinklang are on our side now and saved me, but he fell into the floodwater and got washed away."

"Is that bastard still alive?" Nekou asked, her question accentuated by narrowing her left eye. "Tell me I get one last shot at him."

"Can't promise you anything. I saw him fall in the water and get washed away… I've got no clue if he survived or not." Shifting his head toward Rowena, Matt questioned, "How's the progress on breaking into his mainframe to open the drainage gates?"

"I've broken through a few layers of security, but even with access through his master computer, I still have more to go."

"What about the storm? Has our idea to cut off the growth of the storm by cooling the temperatures worked?"

Tapping several keys on her computer, Rowena moved away from her hacking temporarily to bring up real-time temperature readouts for the city's air and water. "Temperatures aren't changing enough to make a significant difference. The growth of the storm system has only been slowed, not stopped or reversed."

"Damn it…" Matt growled into the fist he slammed down on the table. "We're running out of time... it won't be long now before what's happened is totally irreversible…"

-:-

The water Everton found himself trapped under in the tunnels exerted a painful amount of pressure on his body, but it was nothing compared to the crushing feeling filling his lungs as he held his breath. Over and over again, he forced his ebbing strength into activating the Victory Star as part of a desperate attempt to find a way out of the labyrinth of tunnels.

He had managed to navigate relatively far using what visions he could manage to grasp, but soon enough, he came to an insurmountable problem – the currents had washed him right into a tube closed by one of the drainage gates, which he had directed to be sealed in the first place.

Now unable to progress forward or backtrack against the current, and no longer possessing the strength to force the Victory Star to show him a way out, Everton finally had to confront the idea of defeat. His body trembled as he expended the last of his strength to take another pen-like device from a pocket in his jacket.

_"So this… this is how it ends…"_ he thought, feeling the full effects of the strain on his body. _"So be it. Grandpa, I did what you said… I followed my dream… my dream of bringing the rightful ruling nation of this world back to power through the use of energy… if they cannot see the brilliance in my visionary plan, then… they can all die."_

Just before the life finally faded from his eyes, Everton crushed the button on the device down under his thumb.

-:-

"Things are looking pretty bad out there, Fennel!" Foster exclaimed while watching a video feed of the battle against Hydreigon from a separate screen on the bridge. "Have you managed to bring the Dreamyarn Inceptor under control yet? It might be the only way for Hydreigon to be stopped!"

"I've got it figured out. We have to reduce the power slowly, bit by bit. Otherwise, if we're not careful, the system could destabilize and the Dream Energy might reverse on itself, which could be catastrophic."

"Are you able to do it now?"

"Yes. Let me just get the power output control panel opened, and I'll begin lessening the system's energy."

Before Fennel could do anything, however, an alarm started blaring from her computer. The window displaying the power output level of the Dreamyarn Inceptor system still appeared, but she had no control over it anymore.

_"Emergency override initiated,"_ announced the computer. _"Dreamyarn Inceptor power output is currently at full capacity. Full capacity."_

As if to drive home the point of the computer's declaration, the panels surrounding Musharna roared to life with the echoing windchime noise once more, then smashed shut around her right in front of the horrified eyes of Fennel and Foster. The pink smoke turned deep purple and intensified to an unbelievably opaque level, while electricity of a similar hue started to shoot everywhere inside the machine from the now-closed shell at its core.

"Musharna!" cried the now-helpless Fennel. Nothing she could do would make the computer react anymore, meaning that the Dreamyarn Inceptor was now totally out of her control. In turn, this meant that she could do nothing to save her beloved Musharna. Even her other Pokémon, Munna, could do nothing but watch in sadness.

"What's going on…?" Foster said to himself. "A complete override of the system's programming… something is not right…"

-:-

Up in the air over Whitegold City, Hydreigon abruptly paused during his fight, allowing Gothitelle, Salamence and Ayingott to hit with a pair of heated Hyper Beams contrasted with a chilling Ice Beam.

However, the black aura that erupted around the Dark-and-Dragon-type shielded him from much of the moves' strength. Hydreigon writhed in pain as the full power of the Dreamyarn Inceptor was forced through his body, and eventually, he could no longer put up any kind of resistance. The Dream Energy took full hold of the three-headed dragon's mind, symbolized by his eyes turning completely blank, and he then let out an ear-shattering screech of a cry that echoed through the stormy sky.

Hydreigon then turned away from the Pokémon he had been fighting and took aim at a building that was tall enough to have quite a number of floors still above the floodwater, blowing the structure to bits with a Dragon Pulse so intense that it almost looked like a simple beam of light. Unable to control his mind or body any longer, Hydreigon simply flew down to the area of the city where these tall buildings were located and started rampaging, destroying everything he could using both his moves and raw force.

With bits of metal and shattered glass falling around him, though, a counterattack came. The Ice Beam clipped his wing from an angle, and when he turned in fury to see who was behind it, he spotted Ayingott floating near a building he'd just headbutted through. Hethna, Salamence, Gothitelle, Darkrai, Klinklang and Cryogonal were all nearby as well.

While Hydreigon attempted to engulf Ayingott in a supercharged Flamethrower that she barely managed to dodge, Darkrai and Cryogonal took the next initiative. They lined up next to each other and launched their own Ice Beams in tandem, hitting the same spot on Hydreigon's back. The spasm that went through Hydreigon's body showed that they did manage to injure him, but it was nowhere near enough to stop him. He whipped around and roared, sending a rain of rapidly beating Focus Blast spheres down upon them.

As harsh as the frenzied attack was, Cryogonal's powerful defenses against non-physical attacks helped it weather the barrage. Darkrai was not so lucky, and with all the injuries it had suffered earlier piled on top of the critical damage it took from the Focus Blasts, its resistance crumpled. Darkrai was sent flying through a nearby building's windows and did not return to the battle.

When he saw that Cryogonal was still able to fight, Hydreigon flew like a bullet toward the Ice-type Pokémon. He got cut off by his other former ally, Klinklang, who smashed into his side in a Rock Smash attack meant to save Cryogonal. That much worked, but Hydreigon quickly lashed Klinklang away.

The beginnings of a Flamethrower took shape in Hydreigon's mouth, but Gothitelle interrupted it by using a skillfully placed Hyper Beam. She targeted the dragon's mouth directly, and the energy from her attack combined with the fire of Hydreigon's to produce a violent, smoky explosion. Seizing on the fact that Hydreigon was stunned by the blast, Hethna rocketed in and punched him squarely in the stomach, throwing him back through another of the buildings.

Meanwhile, on the yacht, Rowena was still working furiously on hacking into Everton's mainframe, while the others observed the unfolding disaster.

"Just one more layer of security! I'm almost there!" she exclaimed. "Wait, scratch that… I'm in! Let's do this!"

With the strike of one last key, Rowena initiated the opening of the drainage gates, which was confirmed by her computer displaying as much. Throughout the city, the water level started to recede slightly, as the flood was allowed to drain back into the ocean on the other side of the land.

"Rowena, well done," Bunny congratulated her, "but we're still in dire straits here. What are we going to do to stop this storm, let alone close up the source of the floodwater so we can actually drain the city for good?"

"And now it looks like Everton's Hydreigon has gone completely insane," Matt murmured, staring out the window at the brutal fight now playing out in the open. "Our forces are wearing out… what other options do we even have?" Suddenly, Matt gasped, having come to a startling realization. He turned around directly addressed Victini, saying, "Victini, I want to make the contract. Grant me the Victory Star."

"You can't be serious!" Nekou exclaimed, dismayed greatly by Matt's sudden decision. "After everything that's happened, you're going to fuck it all up yourself?"

Ignoring Nekou's plea and the stares of Bunny, Olivia, Katorena and Rowena, Matt extended his hand. "Victini, please. This is something I must do."

"…Victi."

Floating down, Victini touched Matt's hand. As soon as the tiny Pokémon made contact with him, he heard a voice ring in his head.

_"Do you truly wish to acquire this power? Will you be the one to fulfill the contract?"_

Even though he was unsure of who he was addressing, Matt replied, "I accept this contract! Give me the power I need to stop this disaster and save the world!"

The entire cabin filled with a blindingly bright light radiating from Victini's body. Unlike the previous time they had witnessed the making of the contract, at the church when Everton captured Victini, this time there was no explosion. The light simply glowed for several seconds before fading, leaving Matt to collapse to his hands and knees with his right eye closed.

"What are you doing, Matt?" cried Olivia. "Are you even okay?"

"V-Victory Star…!"

The moment he invoked the power, Matt's one visible eye whipped open, revealing the eight-pointed star in it. It was shining brightly, meaning that as he gasped for breath, he was seeing a vision of how to attain the victory he wished for. Another few seconds passed before he finally returned to normal consciousness and stood back up.

"What is it that you witnessed?" Katorena immediately asked.

"I see how we can defeat Hydreigon and stop the storm, but I couldn't see many specifics… all I know is…"

He never finished his sentence. Instead, he simply turned to the door and walked toward the exit, beckoning Victini to follow. Victini was, in fact, the only one to go with him.

"Stop taking stupid risks!" Nekou wailed in frustration. "I'm supposed to be your bodyguard, but if you keep putting yourself in harm's way, how can I be successful?"

"You don't have to call yourself my bodyguard if you want to hang around me. Just admit that you get along well with Olivia and like hanging out with her, and that would be good enough for me." Without turning, he then said, "Rowena, page Woods and tell him to have all the evacuees aim their attacks at the Victory Star when it appears in the sky. I can't explain it now… but it'll make sense eventually."

With that, he stepped back out into the storm once more, this time with Victini following him. Rowena, meanwhile, followed his direction, while Olivia, Nekou, Bunny and Katorena remained safely inside.

Sweeping his arm out, Matt shouted, "Now, Victini, use Fusion Flare!"

A giant fireball cradled by crossing rings took shape around Victini's body, which it sent flying right at Hydreigon. The Fusion Flare exploded on impact, but again, Hydreigon wasn't injured much. The purpose of this seemed to be to push the other Pokémon away from Hydreigon and get the Dark-and-Dragon-type's attention, both of which succeeded.

"Success. Victini, it's now time to go forth and use Fusion Bolt! Finish preparing for the grand finale!"

"Tini!"

Another energy field appeared around Victini, but this one was made of blue lightning, and instead of launching it as a projectile, Victini darted through the air to use it as a battering ram. In the blink of an eye it was upon Hydreigon, striking him in the stomach with enough force to leave a fairly decent burn mark.

However, Victini's attack was not done yet. Tensing up all its muscles, Victini forced its 'V'-shaped ears to erupt in intense crimson flames before headbutting Hydreigon with all its might.

"Victini's V-Create!" Nekou exclaimed from the safety of her vantage point in the cabin. Realizing that the meeting of Victini and Hydreigon was forcing Victini's fire to take on the appearance of a star, she suddenly realized what Matt meant when he said the Victory Star would appear in the sky. "So that's it…"

Luckily, Rowena had successfully passed on Matt's message, and the evacuees took part in helping Victini. A group of Ice Beam, Blizzard and Frost Breath attacks struck the stalemate between the two Pokémon, and they were soon joined by the other allied Pokémon; Ayingott used her Ice Beam, while Salamence used Dragon Pulse. Gothitelle contributed with her Charge Beam move, and Klinklang and Cryogonal both used Flash Cannon.

Together, this wide variety of techniques fused their energy into the field surrounding Victini and increased its power exponentially, finally ending when Victini and Hydreigon shot skyward together. They surged right through the eye of the storm, lightning crackling all around them, and finally, once they reached the top of the storm system, the energy gave way to an utterly massive explosion.

Once again, a projection of the Victory Star covered Whitegold City. This time, though, the meaning of it all was different – this Victory Star signified Victini destroying what evil misuse of its powers had brought about. Wind from the blast blew away the clouds of the storm, and Victini's power started to heal the catastrophic imbalance feeding the storm.

Once the clouds were gone, a vast sky with millions of stars visible spread out over the land. These stars were accompanied by a bright crescent moon.

Hydreigon plummeted down from high and crashed into the Everton International building, having finally fainted because of how hard he was hit. However, he was not the only Pokémon to suffer horrible injuries as a result of the final clash.

Using V-Create so forcefully had drained all of Victini's life energy, and it fell onto the deck of Katorena's yacht. Matt rushed to it, and the others followed, but the Pokémon was unmoving.

"No, Victini… not after all of that, not after we survived…" Matt felt a slight pinching in his right eye, and instinctively realized that the Victory Star he'd just contracted for was gone. This only served to aggravate his feelings of despairing failure even more. "No! Victini, you can't die! If you die, Everton's actions still succeeded, and there just cannot be any way that sick man was right! Why should you die when it was Everton who acted so horribly?"

Olivia, Nekou, Bunny and Rowena all could only watch this scene in silence, feeling profound sadness at the apparent sacrificial death of Victini. Even Katorena had tears dripping down her face, even if she wasn't totally aware of it.

"Damn it! It didn't have to end like this! None of this had to happen!"

In the rubble of a building some distance away, the bricks shifted as Cresselia woke back up from her own grievous injuries. She could sense Victini's waning life, and knew that something had to be done.

"Kuruseiii!" she chimed as she rose from the wreckage of the building. Rings of bright light feeding themselves on the light of the crescent moon surrounded her, and she flew as rapidly as she could to the center of the city.

"Cresselia…?" Olivia wondered from the yacht.

"What is she doing?" Katorena followed up.

Cresselia cried out, and the rings took on an even brighter glow. They began flowing around her, while light was cast over the entire city. Soon, the rings began pulling the light coating the city in bit-by-bit, fusing it all into Cresselia's own body.

Shortly after, Cresselia started glowing so brightly that the light made all the others watching her feel as if they had blacked out.

-:-

The shell around Musharna was glowing and sparking while simultaneously sounding the windchime sound over and over. Energy was surging through it after Hydreigon was defeated, and the system was indeed destabilizing from the energy reversing on itself, just as Fennel had predicted.

"Fennel, back up!" Foster shouted, gesturing for her to get behind Throh with him. "It's gonna blow!"

"What?"

Without hesitation, Fennel grabbed her Munna and dove behind Foster's Throh to hide alongside him. She wasn't sure if he had a plan, though she hoped he did.

About a minute later, the Dreamyarn Inceptor went critical and exploded, but Foster was ready. Before the machine detonated, he ordered, "Throh, Wide Guard!"

The resulting blast that came from the Dream Energy going critical could easily have killed anyone in such close proximity to it, but the wide shield that Throh formed with his arms served perfectly to protect Foster and Fennel from it. Though the blast was intense, it quickly subsided, and Fennel set out through the wreckage of the ship to find her Musharna.

-:-

When they came to, a stunning, shocking sight greeted them – the city was completely restored. Somehow, the water was all gone, the building damage was completely repaired, and the dam was even restored.

None of them could understand why until Victini sprang back up, apparently perfectly healthy again, while a plainly grievously hurt and dying Cresselia floated down to them.

"Cresselia's Lunar Dance…" Nekou said in wonder. "She took on the pain of Victini and the entire city in order to save them… the folktale about Cresselia protecting the city really was true!"

Victini and Cresselia stared into each others' eyes in sadness, both knowing that Cresselia's time was running out. Unexpectedly, Cresselia transformed, taking on the appearance of an ethereal girl, and Victini jumped into her arms to embrace her one last time.

"That must be Christina, the girl in the legend…" Matt theorized blankly, shocked by what he was seeing.

Once they were done embracing, Victini and Christina separated, and with a final wave to her old friend, Christina faded away and passed on.

Victini could take it no more and began crying loudly, saddening the group greatly. Cresselia's death, in either form, was just as tragic as Victini's would have been, because both of them had suffered so horribly under Everton's rampage that day.

"Victini, don't cry," Olivia piped up. "Christina will always be with you. Look at that crescent moon… it's her, she's there watching you right now."

_"But Cresselia was my only friend!"_

"You…" Suddenly, Matt choked, realizing something startling. "Wait, you could talk all this time? I thought that was only when you were making contracts!"

_"With Cresselia around, I never had to talk to anyone. She was the one who loved me and cared for me… she knew everything I ever needed. Those people I made contracts with… none of them understood that all I really wanted was to go on adventures like I did with Cresselia long ago…"_

"So you were making the contracts in order to try and make more friends?"

"Well, you don't need to do that anymore," Matt added to Bunny's statement. "After all, we're talking to you, right? That would make us your friends, I think. You should go on adventures if you want, because even though you're a Pokémon, there's no reason why that right should be reserved only for humans."

_"D-Do you… mean that? I could do it myself?"_

"Absolutely."

_"Thank you!"_ Victini cheerfully exclaimed, flashing a victory sign with its hand. _"I always loved traveling on that ship! If I can see the world all over again… that will make Cresselia proud, too!"_

**END of CHAPTER 6**


	8. A Fairytale Come True

**EPILOGUE:** A Fairytale Come True

-:-

"Matt's okay! I knew it, he's okay!"

"He's so cool! Only he could save the day like that!"

"Now it's time for me to find those people who tried to hurt him! Liam Everton first!"

"And then those whores he's hanging out with! I'll curse them all!"

Dr. Zager had to chuckle as he looked over the latest chain of posts by The Second Diary Holder on RChannel, as the last post made by that username ended in red text reading 'USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST.' Below it, there was a post by a user whose name identified them as the Admin of the site.

"Okay, listen up," it read. "Whoever it was that decided spamming my site was cool can burn for all the fucks I give, but you guys should not have fed the damn troll. I'll let you all off the hook this time because I'm very busy, but consider this a warning. I won't tolerate this again."

"Now I know everything is back to normal," Zager said to himself. "Not only are the storms that started forming around the world beginning to fade, seeing this just lets me know for sure that things have calmed." Shadows fell onto his face when he lowered his head before ominously adding, "At least for now, that is. Peace can't last with Polaris on the loose…"

"You're right, Doctor Zager," intoned a deep male voice from behind the scientist.

Startled into hurriedly turning around, Zager discovered he was no longer alone with Galvantula. Now in the room with him was a tall man wearing a dark trench coat, along with matching sunglasses and a hat. The difference between the two men could not have been wider; while Zager visibly became agitated upon discovering this mysterious person's presence in his lab, the unknown individual remained completely calm, walking slowly but deliberately to the table, where he removed his hat. His wavy, dark blue hair freed itself to dangle down to his shoulders as a result.

"What are you doing here, Pierce?" Zager angrily demanded. "You know you are not to come here unless there is an expressly important reason for doing so!"

"And I have brought just the explanation you are demanding. Giovanni has invoked emergency protocol and assigned myself and Ariana to work with you on coordinating our missions from this point forward. She will be arriving here shortly. The reason for all of this is that Giovanni fears a crackdown from the International Police after the Whitegold City incident and the appearance of Polaris."

"Yes, Polaris… we must treat their appearance at Matt Chiaki's speech, which was being broadcast worldwide, as a declaration that they are ready to move forward with their own plans. Giovanni has obviously entrusted us with conducting Team Rocket's operations to destroy Polaris and stop what they are going to do."

"Indeed. Upon Ariana's arrival, we must begin work immediately on developing what our first move will be."

-:-

The sun began peaking over the horizon in the clear skies above Whitegold City, bringing a beautiful morning light to the area. It was complemented by a light, warm breeze that blew through and rustled the autumn foliage still attached to the city's countless trees.

At the center of this now-serene landscape was Balise Park, nestled right in the heart of the fusion of modern urban technology and nature. Woods and Aurelie were already there, standing on a footbridge overlooking a pond of clear water, when Matt's group arrived. In addition to his usual three companions, he also had Rowena and Katorena following him.

"Ah, so you came," Woods, who was now without his own Victory Star, calmly greeted the five. "Isn't the city beautiful this time of year?"

"Fuck yeah, it is," Nekou responded without skipping a beat. "If Everton would have sunken this city, none of this would exist anymore."

"And that would be a shame," Olivia piped up to add.

Both Nekou and Aurelie smiled in amusement at Olivia's enthusiasm, but it was the latter that spoke. "That's why I want to thank you, for saving this city. All of you did your parts, so I would like to give each individual group its reward."

Reaching into her robes, Aurelie produced three of her brightly-colored Sigilyph-based dream catchers. She handed one to Nekou, who immediately held it close to her own chest, then the others to Katorena and Rowena.

"Many thanks are in order."

"I have to thank you as well, Aurelie."

"Where's Victini?" Matt inquired.

"Ah, Victini has already left the city," Woods explained. "I can't blame it after everything that went on here yesterday. I have to say, though, as broken as this city has been by Liam Everton's actions, it's a tough place that will recover. We're even still going to hold the Pokémon Bowl, but starting tomorrow, if you want to stick around for it."

"Ooh, can we?" begged Olivia. "Everything else can wait! I still want to see it!"

Before Matt could answer, Bunny applied more pressure to him by agreeing with Olivia. "It really won't take away from anything else we already planned to do."

"Fine, I guess we will do it," Matt acquiesced. "It won't hurt."

"Woods," Rowena spoke up, "I agree with you about the city recovering. Not everybody fully believes that Liam Everton was the villain yet, but my report about the events yesterday has already gone online and is growing in popularity. More people are waking up to the truth every hour."

"That's good to know. And, Rowena… I'm sorry I lied to you and tried to manipulate you. I don't think I can be more remorseful."

"Don't worry about it, you made an honest mistake. I can't blame you for initially trusting him."

"You know, Matt," Katorena interjected, "I must say, for a common ruffian you were rather impressive. Your skill and courage in facing the danger presented before you by Liam Everton helped lead us all through that hour of crisis. Even if your style is a bit too brutish for my tastes, I must give you your due credit."

"Thanks, I guess…" he acknowledged awkwardly.

"Yeah, she isn't kidding." Suddenly, Nekou was on top of Matt, having pushed past Katorena to reach that place. "I have to say, you really were brave yesterday. I liked it."

"You're saying that?" Matt responded with great skepticism. "I'm not sure if I should believe it."

"But I'm… I mean, I was honest… why would you… fuck it."

Much to the surprise of everyone, not least of all Matt, Nekou suddenly simply grabbed his face and planted a brief kiss squarely on his lips. His mind simply blanked, and when she backed away, all he could do was stand there frozen in shock.

"How horridly vulgar!" Katorena shrilled. "Find some lodging, you profane mongrels!"

"I… I…"

Turning away in a huff, Nekou growled, "Fine, if you didn't like or appreciate that, you can go get some mouthwash and wash it out."

Woods laughed heartily, put his hand in his pocket and looked up toward the sky. "They always said that this city had something magical about it, and since one folktale came true within the past twenty-four hours, why not entertain the notion of a second one?"

**THE END**

-Operation GEAR:

The Victory Star of Fate-

[In the now-packed Whitegold Dome, countless spectators, including Matt, Nekou, Olivia and Bunny, watch a Triple Battle unfolding on the field.]

-Executive Producers-

The Great Butler

Nekusagi

[The Pokémon Bowl game is also on the TV in Katorena's yacht's cabin; she walks in and removes her glasses and hat, revealing her blue eyes and extremely long, flowing hair.]

-Head Writer-

The Great Butler

-Original Character Concept & Design-

The Great Butler

Nekusagi

Bay_Alexison

[On a grassy riverbank just outside the city, Liam Everton's body has washed up.]

-Starring-

Troy Baker … Matt Chiaki

Trina Nishimura … Nekou Langley

Bridget Hoffman … Olivia Mistbloom, Stacia

Caitlin Glass … Bunny Spruce

and Michael Ironside as Captain Liam Everton

[Baker and Foster sit in a prison cell, dressed in striped jumpsuits. Inspector Looker stands outside for a moment with his arms crossed, then walks off.]

-Featuring-

J. Michael Tatum … Foster, Tobias

Crispin Freeman … Baker

Vic Mignogna … Woods

Colleen Clinkenbeard … Rowena Byrne

Therese Plummer … Fennel

Lisa Ortiz … Katorena

Wayne Grayson … Butler

Megan Hollingshead … Diane

[Woods and Fennel direct the renovation of the Everton building alongside her Munna and Musharna, as well as Everton's Klinklang. Cryogonal now lives in the underground tunnels, and Hydreigon lives in the swamp.]

Travis Willingham … Becket Everton

Brina Palencia … Midori Makise

Laura Bailey … Kyoko

Ted Lewis … Giovanni

Marc Thompson … Dr. Gabriel Zager

Dan Green … Pierce

Kari Wahlgren … Aurelie

Rachael Lillis … Victini

Saori Hayami … Cresselia

Mike Pollock … Klinklang

Stephanie Young … Cryogonal

Katsuyuki Konishi … Hydreigon

Shinichiro Miki … Darkrai

[Anabel sits at a small table under a gazebo in a vast field of flowers, reading Rowena's report on a laptop computer. In his office, Giovanni is doing the same, with Stacia looking over his shoulder.]

-Japanese Cast-

Daisuke Ono … Matt

Ami Koshimizu … Nekou

Miyuki Sawashiro … Olivia

Misato Fukuen … Bunny

Tohru Ookawa … Liam Everton

Koichi Yamadera … Foster, Butler

Hiroki Takahashi … Baker, Tobias

Kensuke Sato … Woods

Kato Natsuki … Rowena

Maria Kawamura … Fennel

Takako Honda … Katorena

Asami Imai … Diane, Cryogonal

Masayuki Omoro … Becket Everton, Dr. Zager

Jin Yamanoi … Pierce

Chiaki Takahashi … Midori Makise

Megumi Toyoguchi … Kyoko

Kenta Miyake … Giovanni, Klinklang

Kiyomi Asai … Stacia

Kana Hanazawa … Aurelie

Nana Mizuki … Victini

[On a street corner, Butler throws open his cape during a magic trick while Diane and a crowd of onlookers watch.]

-Opening Theme-

"Aria of Autumn Color"

Written by: Saori Kodama

Composed by: Satoru Kousaki

Arranged by: Shou Ishihama and Keigo Hoashi

Vocals: Ami Koshimizu

[In her home, Aurelie and Gothitelle are reading the fortune of Matt's friend Trista.]

-Ending Theme-

"Follow Your Star [Truth Mix]"

Written by: Alex Nackman, John Loeffler and David Wolfert

Produced by: John Loeffler and David Wolfert

Vocals: Kathryn Raio

[Matt, Nekou, Olivia and Bunny sit on a bench in Balise Park, looking up at the star-filled sky. In another big city somewhere, Victini appears on top of the awning of a bakery and peers upward as well, seeing the crescent moon overhead.]

-:-

"So you've recovered Darkrai? What of its health?"

"Governor Tobias, sir, it appears Darkrai has taken terrible injury but will survive."

"Good. Make sure of it."

Turning away from the screen, Tobias now faced Gabriella, who was reading a newspaper.

"Now this is awfully exciting, isn't it?" she commented, not raising her face from the paper. "The incident in Whitegold City has even pushed Kiss of Death to the inside pages. How frightfully exciting!"

"Maybe for you, but I've got other problems. That annoying detective with the speech quirks is sniffing around this case. If he finds out that I took a bribe from Everton to loan him the use of Darkrai, it could throw a major wrench into things."

"Then get rid of him. Wouldn't that just be so simple?"

"The Kiss of Death case might provide just my chance to do that. If I can get him distracted from following my trail, we'll be fine…

[center][-][/center]

-:-

[Two women chained up and dressed in rags dance before a mysterious panel. One has flowing blue hair, the other a green, braided ponytail.]

**Anthea:** "When the vast white flame of truth burns out, and the deep black thunder of ideals dissipates into nothing…"

**Concordia:** "That gray void of nothing… that is the Day of Reckoning."

Five years ago, a forbidden prophecy was nearly brought forth into reality, but at the last minute it was averted. Now… the watchful eyes and manipulative hands of the cult called Polaris seek to complete their plan…

**"Finansielle":** "It has only been through considerable investment that we have managed to keep the Dark Stone for as long as we have. I've already approved repeated funding requests... so you're going to have to produce results eventually."

[A shadowy figure completely obscured except for the glowing circles on his face speaks with a voice modifier to disguise himself on a screen.]

**"Father":** "Gabriel, it's about time you learned the truth. The true meaning about the purpose of Polaris… and the meaning of your mission, the Azrael Project."

It has always been said that the universe began when the egg of Arceus tumbled out of a single point of chaos, but when it hatched and gave rise to life and existence, what was left behind?

[A large shape stirs within a dark, desolate and isolated location somewhere deep in space. Some parts of its body begin glowing blue as electricity sparks through the area, Finally, a pair of yellow eyes illuminates in the darkness, followed by a diamond-shaped object between them.]

Now... a conflict on many fronts erupts on the Tohjo Continent, extending all the way into the barren wasteland once inhabited by an ancient people.

As Polaris and Team Rocket clash for control and the fate of the world...

[A man in flowing multicolored robes stands at a podium, addressing a crowd.]

**Ghetsis:** "People of Johto, ask yourselves. Ask yourselves, are you worthy of possessing Pokémon of your own? Look into your own hearts and try to decide - are you the one who will bring that Pokémon's true potential to life, or are you merely holding it back? People of Johto, I implore you, join us! We of Polaris will guide you into a new era where you can be closer than ever to your Pokémon! It will be a fundamental change... but once we reach the light of the promised future together, a world where people and Pokémon are truly in tune will not be impossible!"

[Dr. Zager is sitting at his computer addressing someone.]

**Dr. Zager:** "I need you to infiltrate Mr. Pokémon's hard drives and obtain his data on the Meteonite shard. Understanding what that element is fully capable of will give us a great strategic advantage if they try to use it."

...the fate of the fallen race of the Tenganists comes to the forefront.

[A woman wearing a heavy cloak with a hood obscuring her face is addressing a small meeting of people in a run-down building. She is holding a small child within a blanket in her arms, and Stacia is standing silently next to her.]

**Mysterious woman:** "It has been nearly three decades since the first of the villages in our sacred land was obliterated by that man, Ghetsis Harmonia. Now... now everything's gone, and he has completely destroyed my life and the lives of many others. We must no longer stand by as our people are exterminated by the forces of Polaris... it is time that we remember the legacy of the great Tenganist warriors in history and once again fight for our right to exist! We must do it through any means necessary!"

Both people and Pokémon can evolve. But what plan does Polaris have for this process? And what is the role in their scheme for the Triad of Revenge?

A girl seeking a reunion…

**Olivia:** "If I become Champion or Top Coordinator, Dad will have to come back! He won't ignore me anymore!"

…a woman seeking a revelation…

**Nekou:** "Consider yourself lucky. You at least know where you really came from and who your parents are."

…and a man seeking revenge.

**Matt:** "What do you know about the events of five years ago?"

Forces converge on the Tohjo Continent for the greatest and last quest the world will ever see.

[Pierce and a man and woman sit in a car, along with a Meowth and a Wobbuffet. Outside, a nearby house explodes in flames.]

**Pierce:** "Code Black Seven has been initiated by Giovanni. The lives you knew are now at an end."

As old friends return...

[Nando throws a Poké Ball, sending out an Exploud to fight his opponent's Zapdos.]

[In a park, Trista throws two Poké Balls, sending out Eelektross and Druddigon.]

**Trista:** "Elektross, Druddigon, showtime!"

...and new enemies appear...

[A young man hidden under a wide black hat, ragged black poncho and tattered scarf yells at Olivia in the middle of a small town.]

**Renzo:** "Rich Mistbloom's legacy is not something you have the right to lay claim to. I will prove that I am the only one with the right to bring the truth about him to light!"

At the end of the gray void, when the thunder of your ideals has driven you as far as it can, will you embrace or flee the flames of truth?

**Matt:** "You must not forget who you are!"

[Ghetsis stands over a pedestal with projects of over a dozen pillar-like objects on it.]

**Ghetsis:** "The Day of Reckoning begins now with the destruction of Arceus!"

**Matt:** "Ghetsis, you must stop this! Destroying Arceus will destroy the universe, I've seen it with my own eyes!"

**Ghetsis:** "Foolish boy. Don't you know that if I destroy the world after the Ice Dragon Gate is opened, Kyurem will become the new ruler of the universe?"

[A mysterious individual obscured by shadows stands in front of the Lock Capsule inside Pewter City's museum.]

**Mysterious man:** "So we meet at last, Zoroark. I promise, I'll come back to free you, and the advent of your reign shall come!"

[A man dressed in a trenchcoat-styled costume complete with a Golurk mask with four feathers coming out of the sides is giving a speech of his own to a large crowd somewhere.]

**"Geminus":** "Swear loyalty to Polaris! Be loyal to us, and I will never betray you!"

Coming soon, the final phase of the epic tale of Operation GEAR – "The Angel of Reckoning."


End file.
